Leap
by TheGirlWithTheDinosaurTattoo
Summary: Continue with the Winchester family as Dean, Grace, Sam, and Serra attempt to balance life with a new body shop and try to save Dean and Grace's son Everett from his own genetic Mark of Cain. "Leap" immediately follows "Legacy", and is my eighth story in the "Winchester Ranch" series. Takes place in an AU around late season 9, early 10-ish.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Dean

Staring at the ceiling of our bedroom, listening to my wife breathe in the darkness, I ran over my list of things I needed to do tomorrow at the body shop that we owned. Escrow closed months ago, but I still felt like I was fucking drowning. I had no idea how to run a business. I don't know what I was thinking.

I ran through the other problems that were still unresolved at the shop: There was a Chevy Malibu on the lift in my bay, waiting for a new exhaust system that was on backorder. There were three motors that were sitting in the paint stall, waiting to be dropped into the Mustang, Galaxy, and Nova, but the engine hoist was in desperate need of repair, so I had a guy coming in tomorrow that would hopefully fix it so we could get the turn over that we needed to stay afloat. Doug, my old boss, had retired and sold the shop to us, but he was a nice guy, coming in occasionally to help me steer my decisions about the shop in the right direction. Grace had been nothing but patient, even though I had single-handedly drained our entire savings account and we were now living paycheck to paycheck with three other mouths to feed.

Rubbing my face, I could feel my stress start to spin out of control and I sat up in bed, looking for a shirt to pull on and do a few laps through the house. I got up and walked through the hall silently, hearing the rhythmic breathing of my three kids. I hesitated at Everett's room, listening to him murmur quietly in his sleep as he dreamed. He thrashed momentarily, fighting with the light blanket that covered him, but settled back into quiet quickly.

Everett was the other major stress in my life, currently. The twins, Glory and Everett, were now almost a year old and though Glory was thriving, Rhett suffered on a pretty regular basis because of my goddamned genetic code. I had unwillingly passed on the Mark of Cain to my son and he suffered because of it. Cas told us months ago that the only way to save Rhett from a lifetime of suffering and eventual self-destruction was to introduce Grace's genetic duplicate: a fourth child. According to Cas, we would be able to save our son by having another daughter who would be able to take on the Mark the same as Grace could take it from me. The only problem was that we had been trying for months, but I still hadn't knocked her up.

I didn't understand what the problem was. Grace had gotten pregnant twice already, (our oldest daughter would be three in November) while on the fucking pill, but here we were, trying to have a fourth kid for the last four months or so, but we had done nothing but get a lot of good sex in. There was still no bun in the oven.

Walking slowly towards Lib's room, I listened to her breathe quietly. Our eldest had some uncanny abilities of her own. She worked in reverse of my wife's abilities: Lib was able to project images and scenes into your brain when she touched you. She used it as a communication tool and didn't feel the need to speak often. I smiled at the soft whistle I heard each time she exhaled and slowly, I backed out of her room and headed towards Glory.

It was a mystery to me why Glory didn't seem to inherit the abilities that Grace possessed when clearly; Everett had inherited mine. It would have been so simple if Glory had been the piece that Everett needed in order to lead his life, but I should know from previous experience: nothing in a Winchester's life was simple. Glory was rolling to her belly as I stood in the doorway, watching silently. She noticed my presence, even though she wasn't completely awake, and sat up in her crib, holding up her arms, begging to be picked up. Giving in, as I did constantly to my middle child, I walked over to her and picked her up, holding her against my chest as she almost immediately fell back to sleep. It was comforting, holding Glory, knowing that she was the lowest maintenance kid I had, and all she really ever wanted from me was a hug. She was normal and that was rare.

Hearing a creak in the hall, I turned to see Grace standing in Glory's doorway, her arms crossed over her chest and smiling at me. Smiling back gently, I faced her crib again and carefully laid Glory back into her bed, covering her with her favorite blanket. She didn't move once I put her down and I padded silently across the room back to Grace.

"Hiya, gorgeous," I whispered, approaching her in the hall. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head, her blonde hair falling into her face. Tucking it behind her ear, Grace answered, "Nothing. I was coming to check that you were alright."

I broke eye contact, knowing that Grace was reading my mind whether I wanted her to or not. I was embarrassed. What kind of father was I? I had basically bankrupted us, trying to float a business that I knew nothing about. My only strengths were hunting and cars.

"I think you're good at more than that," Grace said quietly, reaching out for me hand. She led me back to our bedroom and she sat at the foot of the bed, still holding my hand.

"We should sell, Grace," I said quietly, looking away. "We're not going to make it." She sighed then, staring up into my face with a look I barely recognized. She looked exhausted. I knew her energy was sapped from appeasing Everett all day, every day. She did everything she could to take the Mark from both our son and me, but I knew she wouldn't be able to keep it up for much longer. Leaning her head into my stomach, she sighed again as I pulled her hair into a ponytail with my hands. "You know it's true."

"No," she said, not looking up at me. "We're not going to sell. We'll figure this out." Grace pulled away from me and I let her hair fall around her shoulders as she did.

"Grace—"

"No." Her voice rang with a finality that made me smile. She was just as stubborn as she had always been and I was grateful for it. "You know how it works. You watched Doug and you're intelligent. All you have to do is flip about four cars a month and we're in the black again." She smiled ironically. "And we should probably think about not using the shop for our own vehicles for a bit, just to get the profit margin up, don't you think?"

I chuckled as I hugged her head. "Probably a good idea, but you get to share that news with your sister." Grace's sister, Serra, had a Jeep Wagoneer that had a few problems over the last couple of months. I had used parts from the shop to try and fix it without charging anyone, but carburetors were expensive and now I was out three hundred bucks. It happened that way a lot: the Impala needs a fuel pump? Grab one from the back. Chevelle needs a timing belt? Take it. The Winchester family had probably used about two grand worth of parts in the last year or so and now that Grace had said it out loud, I agreed with her.

She smiled up at me, hearing my thought process. That was one of my favorite parts about my wife: I never really had to say what I was feeling because I was never very good at it anyway. She could reach through telepathically and hear it for herself.

Reaching down, I grabbed the edges of the tank top she wore and pulled it off, over her head. Her long, blonde hair cascaded down her back and I smiled as she lay down, beckoning me with a single finger. I followed her down; holding myself over her as we kissed deeply and she wrapped her arms around my shoulders, pulling herself closer. Standing once more, I tugged off my tee shirt and joined her on the bed.

I hesitated, staring at her face in the darkness. "Why can't we get pregnant?"

"We?"

"Alright, fine. Why can't I knock you up?"

Grace smiled and shrugged. "We're trying too hard. It's become a job. You're stressed out. I'm stressed out and exhausted. Sex was never like that with us." She traced her finger along my collarbone, sending electricity through my shoulder. "It's never been something that we _had_ to do. It's always been something we _loved_ to do."

"Loved?"

"Alright, fine," she mimicked. "Love, present tense. We love to have sex, but we haven't lately. We're so worried about Everett, we've forgotten how to have fun with it." She jabbed me in the chest with her finger as she continued, "And you're so freaking worried about the shop, your heart's not in it."

"We have a mortgage and kids to feed, Grace."

"Yeah, and we both know what it's like to be poor. It's not that big of a deal." She tilted her head and smiled at me. "The twins will be off formula soon and that will cut out about three hundred and fifty bucks a month. I don't go anywhere, ever, so gassing up The Tank isn't necessary. So far, it's been a warm winter, so the house is cozy and it'll be a lean Christmas. You haven't knocked me up yet, so you don't have to worry about feeding a fourth. No biggie."

Staring at my beautiful, shirtless wife, I lifted my eyebrows and grinned. "You've got such a way with words," I said, kissing her neck. "You always know what to say to turn a guy on."

Grace laughed, slapping my shoulder. "Come on," she giggled. "It's all true." She pulled away from me to stare me in the face, her blue eyes showing how tired she really was. "You could always tell me that I need to go back to work." She smiled weakly. "Save me from the parasite."

Breaking eye contact with Grace, I sat on the edge of the bed and closed my eyes. "This is all a nightmare," I muttered, rubbing my face.

"What is?"

Shaking my head, I had too many thoughts to get out at the same time. _Everett. The shop that we bought and know nothing about. Money. The fact that you're so tired that you're barely conscious._ I grit my teeth and glanced at her, too embarrassed about my guilt to admit anything out loud. Reaching out to take my hand from my face, Grace leaned forward and put her head on my shoulder. She took a deep breath and sighed gently into my ear.

"You regret us?"

"Of course I don't."

Tilting her head, she pursed her lips. "You regret the kids?"

I turned to stare at her, furrowing my eyebrows. _Don't even say something like that._

She shrugged gently. "There's times I wish it was still just us, Dean. There's nothing wrong with that." Grace pressed her lips together and stared at me, "We never sat down and had a conversation about when to start having kids. Lib just happened and then, boom, there was Glory and Everett." She paused and glanced out the window, staring into the darkness of our property. "And now we have to have a fourth to save the third. I know it's selfish to say and you're probably going to be angry with me for admitting it, but I'm exhausted. I love the kids, more than life itself, but…" She faded away and took a deep breath. "There are days that I miss the simple stuff…you know, when worrying about a stalker took up most of our afternoons."

Closing my eyes, I tried to take what Grace was saying with a grain of salt. She was right: she was tired and on edge, she had given up everything that she had been before we were us, including her career and her independence…and she hadn't complained once. "I'm sorry, Gracie. I'm sorry for all of it."

"Don't be sorry," she said. "Be determined." I turned to face her and she smiled. "Tomorrow when you go into work, you need to get that Malibu taken care of, or get it off the lift. Then drop the motors in the other three and turn them over. Get them out so you can get others in. Get your turnover happening faster and we won't have to worry about money…it'll just start showing up." Putting a hand on my chest, she continued. "As for me and getting pregnant, we need to just keep fucking, but have fun with it. It's not something that we _have_ to do. It's something we _get_ to do." She grinned at me as she felt my chest and my arms, tracing her fingers over the muscles that were just under the surface. I closed my eyes as I could feel the tingle of electricity there and smiled gently, my lips parting ever so slightly.

Grace took that as an opportunity and kissed me, pushing me back down onto the bed. "Fuck me, Dean Winchester," she said quietly, grinning.

From my place on the bed, I stared back up at her. I pulled her towards my face, kissing her deeply and laughing as she tried to pull down my boxers. Finally, when both of us were nude, I caught her staring at the Mark and raised my eyebrows. "It's been awhile."

"I know," she replied, still touching my chest and kissing my jaw line. "I think it would be good for both of us."

"What about the aging thing?" I glanced at her to gauge her reaction. It had been months since she touched the Mark of Cain directly…the healing it performed on her body seemed to be almost too much of a good thing and we had discovered this year that Grace had basically stopped aging.

She shrugged. "I think we have bigger problems right now," she said, taking a breath as she pulled away from my face momentarily.

We stared at each other as she smiled slowly. I glanced down to my forearm as she moved closer to touching it. I knew as soon as she made contact with it, we would both feel better, and let's face it, I longed for her touch. She pressed her palm down and I gasped. It was like having cold water thrown on me, but in the most pleasurable way. Grace pushed herself down onto me and we automatically fell into a deep rhythm, kissing, breathing heavily and somewhere buried far into my subconscious, I knew this time, I would get her pregnant. It was the Mark. It was always the Mark.

We screwed for hours, falling asleep and then waking up again with grins plastered on our faces, just like old times. We talked, touched and generally fell back in love (as if I would ever _not_ be in love with my wife) into the early hours of the morning.

The sun rose and peeked through the window, ice forming on the outside in fractal patterns across the glass and I awoke to Grace laying facedown next to me, her hair spread across her back and her tattoos showing just above the sheet that just barely covered her ass. Smiling, I took a deep breath, feeling the best I had felt in months: sleepless night or not. Grace's touch had rejuvenated me in a way I wasn't prepared for. It made perfect sense that her touching The Mark of Cain would put us right. We were a perfect example of yin and yang; she was a nephilim (half angel, half human) and could sate the Mark without me having to kill anyone. Grace absorbed the power of the Mark and it made her stronger in the process. We just hadn't figured out the extent of the agelessness that we both experienced.

She was right: we had bigger problems at the moment.

I could hear Liberty playing in her room, talking to herself and thumping around every once and awhile. Everett hadn't made a sound yet, which was incredibly rare. He was usually the first one up and the most demanding of Grace and I would get the girls up while she dealt with him. This time, I could hear Glory begin to whimper, knowing her big sister was awake and playing without her. Grace stirred next to me and turned towards me, smiling with her eyes still closed.

"Morning, gorgeous," I said, smiling at her.

"Morning, stranger," she whispered stretching. She listened momentarily and furrowed her eyebrows. "No Ev?"

I shook my head. "Not yet," I replied, pulling back the covers and digging in the clean laundry for a shirt.

She chuckled lightly and shook her head.

"I know, right?" I pulled on a Guns and Roses shirt and glanced down at it, confused. It was way too tight and pulled at my shoulders and my stomach.

Grace laughed as she looked up at me, gesturing to the other basket of clothes on the floor. "That one's mine," she said, shaking her head. "Yours has the skull with the top hat."

"And it fits," I replied, pulling the too-small shirt back over my head and tossing it to her. I watched as she pulled it over her head and smiled. I dug through the other basket, tossing baby clothes onto the bed as I searched, finally discovering my own Guns and Roses shirt and pulled it on.

Grace stood and looked around for her shorts that I had pulled off of her in our passion that night. As if on cue, Everett's voice came down the hall, wailing pathetically for his mother. I glanced at her and smiled sadly, saying, "Poor kid."

"Oh, he's fine."

I shook my head. "I watched him have a nightmare last night. He's getting worse."

"Well," Grace said, kissing me on the cheek, "keep doing what you did last night and eventually, we'll be fine."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Dean

I finished cooking the scrambled eggs that Liberty had requested and dumped them on a plate and tried not to listen to Everett wail from upstairs. This was a ritual that I usually didn't hear because I was already at work. Fridays were late-open days and my guys wouldn't be at the shop until eleven that morning, but I was here now, getting a taste of what Grace dealt with every day. I couldn't imagine what it was like trying to juggle the girls at the same time as trying to calm Everett down, and, I almost forgot that in about twenty minutes, we would have our nephew Levi join the fray. I shook my head at the chaos that Grace dealt with during the day. It was no wonder that my wife was exhausted.

Lib was trying to be helpful (she was almost three now, as she kept reminding us) and made an effort to feed Glory, but really all she did was spread the baby oatmeal all over her sister's face. I chuckled as I wiped the girls off, plopped Liberty into her own seat next to Glory's highchair and sat to finish feeding the baby.

"Eat your eggs, kiddo," I said, gesturing to Lib's plate and handing her a little plastic fork. "Alright, Morning Glory," I continued to the baby. "Let's try to get more of this into your mouth."

She sat, grinning at me, and opened her mouth. I had succeeded in feeding her four bites when I noticed the silence from upstairs. Maybe Grace had succeeded in calming Everett down. Glancing behind me, I watched my wife walk down the steps carrying my son who gripped her shirt and hair with both hands as if his life depended on it. For all I knew, it did.

I turned my attention back to Glory as she began grunting for more food. I had learned over the last few months not to acknowledge Everett until he greeted me. Grace would approach me holding him and eventually, he would lunge for me, wanting attention. It never lasted long, but if I didn't wait, he threw a royal fit and it took even longer to calm him down.

Frustration was something I was used to, especially when it came to the Mark of Cain. The relentless pain I remembered being in before Grace started absorbing it made me ache for Everett, knowing what it was like to be constantly uncomfortable, hot, and irritable. He didn't deserve any of the pain that he experienced…he was simply victim to his own genetic code. Glory noticed Grace come into the kitchen with her twin brother and sat up straighter and gurgled at him. He turned towards her, smiling a bit through his red, tearful eyes, but leaned his face back onto Grace's chest.

"Hi, Rhett!" Lib yelled from the other side of the table. Knowing she probably wouldn't get a response from her little brother, she went back to her food, unconcerned. It was typical for Everett to be attached to Grace for majority of the day and Liberty seemed to understand.

Standing in front of Glory with Everett on her hip, Grace surveyed the kitchen. "Eggs this morning, huh, Lib?"

"Daddy eggs," she said, grinning, with little yellow bits on her chin.

"Well, how about we keep the Daddy Eggs on the plate or in your mouth," Grace answered, wiping Libby's mouth with Ev's bib.

Slowly, Grace turned Everett towards me and he grinned when he made eye contact. I smiled back, making a big deal of the interaction and held out my arms. "If I pick you up, you gonna be a man about it?"

"Probably not," Grace murmured under her breath.

I tried anyway, scooping my son from my wife's arms and sitting him on my knee while I fed Glory. She backed away, attempting to make coffee while I manned all three of my kids at the same time. I waggled my eyebrows at Grace. "Look ma, no hands."

"Let's set a timer. Maybe we can set a record."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Serra

"Hi, dude!" I called to my son Levi as I walked through the dining room. Sammy held him against his chest as I tried to get my hair up into a bun while I walked. I hadn't had time to blow-dry it this morning before I went to work, so a wet bun would have to do.

Turning to kiss me, Sam bent down and grinned. "Did you see the bruises you gave me last night?" he said, holding the sleeve of his shirt up against his shoulder. I glanced towards him as I poured my coffee; visualizing the epic lovemaking session we had the night before.

"Oh, Jesus," I said, seeing the nail crescent shaped bruises that had blossomed overnight. "That's amazing. Sorry, babe."

"Don't mention it," he said, smiling flirtatiously. "Glad I've still got it."

"Oh, hell yeah," I said taking a sip from my travel mug. "I glanced towards the kitchen window, ducking to see passed the trees. "Are they up yet? I didn't see lights come on earlier."

Sam turned to face the window as well, staring towards my sister's house across the field. "Yeah, the kitchen and the dining room are lit. They're up."

Nodding, I gathered my purse and Levi's bag. "Can you drop him over there this morning before you leave? I have to get to a budget meeting."

"Someone put you on budget?" Sammy said, picking up the plastic measuring cup that Levi had dropped to the floor. "Who would do that?"

I rolled my eyes. "It's part of my stupid promotion," I began, throwing a pack of diapers into Levi's bag. "They think that I should be on the NICU's budget committee, since I keep complaining about what they don't have money for. I think they need to stop worrying about money and start trying to save more babies."

Sammy nodded as Levi reached for me. He held out our son and I took him, nuzzling my face in his. Johnny came running by, licking Levi's toes. I glanced again at Grace's window and furrowed my eyebrows. I hadn't been over in a day or so and it had been about two weeks since we last just sat on the front porch and gossiped. I was itching to have some time with her, just to catch up. I was dying to know if she was pregnant again or not.

I was constantly worried about Grace and Dean. Everett had become a continual battle and he was getting harder and harder to keep calm. Balancing Dean and Ev had become a chore for my sister and I knew it was taking its toll. One Mark of Cain, she could handle, but two? She would crack eventually, and I didn't want to be anywhere close when she finally did. I also had a feeling that Dean's new body shop wasn't doing as well as they thought it would and I wondered if they would be able to pull it off with another baby. Eventually, I was convinced that Grace would have to go back to work.

Once Grace and Dean had their fourth baby, I knew that we would have to put Levi in childcare. My friend Lindsey had her daughter at the daycare in the hospital for employees and said she really liked it, but I wanted to wait as long as I could before pulling Levi. Who better than to care for him (besides his own parents) but his half-angel aunt?

"Okay," I said, kissing Levi on the forehead and handing him back to Sam. "I've gotta go, but the good news is that I'll be back by three today. Early in, early out."

"Awesome," he said, leaning in for a kiss. "Department meeting at two-thirty," Sam continued as I walked towards the door. "I'll be home after five, probably."

I smiled at him and waved at Levi, "Sounds good," I replied. "I'm bringing home ribs from that place over by Polly's today. I've got a hankering for pork products."

Sammy laughed and nodded. "Deal."

…

Our lives were running smoothly lately and I knew something would falter eventually. It always did. About five months ago, werewolves had attacked our family and we had one of the hardest battles of our lives, but we came out on top. Right now, the biggest worry was that Grace hadn't gotten pregnant yet. This miracle baby was supposed to be Everett's missing piece, but we were all worried that she was taking too long to get pregnant and that Ev would already be too affected my his version of the Mark to come back.

I guess we would have to wait and see.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Castiel

It's been five months since I told Dean and Grace that their son would only get worse and so far, it's happening just as I said it would. Even though Everett does not directly have the Mark of Cain, it's in his blood, and infecting him the same way a cancer would. The only time his brain is relatively at ease is when he is unconscious, but even then, he has nightmares and dreams with the same intensity as when he is awake. Grace has done her best to take the affects of the Mark from him simply through physical contact, but I fear that because she is still doing the same for Dean, it is not as relieving for Everett as it should be, especially since Grace directly touched Dean's Mark of Cain last night.

It hasn't happened in almost a year, not since around the time when the twins were born. Grace discovering that the Mark slows her aging process has pushed her away from making direct contact with it and I am convinced that is the reason Dean has been unable to impregnate her. Perhaps after last night's multiple encounters, they will finally be on their way to saving Everett. He will have his first full breakdown soon, and I am afraid for what might come out of it.

Lucia has become an active part of my life both here on Earth and in Heaven. She is with me majority of the time and I have become familiar with angels and other seraphs that I have never encountered before because of her. One, in particular, is quite strange because he has fallen in love with a human and only desires to be with her, but apparently, angels and humans have been interacting for longer than I gave them credit for and I am shocked that my being a Garrison Leader has made me blind to so many facets of the universe.

Moreover, I am stunned that there are not more nephilim, but Grace still remains the only known in existence.

"Lucia," I asked, turning towards her as she walked into the library of the so-called Bat Cave where the Winchester brothers had once resided, before their wedded bliss. "Why is there so few nephilim, if so many angels find comfort in so many mortals' arms? I believe Grace is still the only one."

She regarded me quietly, as she did most of the time, smiling lightly, her thoughts turning to Grace. "Evangeline prayed for a child and I felt for her, knowing that she was barren. I came to her aid, helping her carry Grace, using her as a vessel and healing her womb." She looked at her long fingers, pausing to consider her thoughts before continuing. "Grace was born out of necessity. She was part of a destiny that would not be completed without me."

"You knew she was to be a part of Dean's life?"

"From the beginning," she replied, nodding once. "A nephilim would have to be created, one that would be suited for the Winchester," Lucia explained, "and one would be sacrificed to Metatron's hostile takeover." She took a deep breath and approached me quietly, touching my face slowly. I was unable to resist moving towards her fingertips, taking a deep breath to steady my rapidly increasing pulse. "Grace is rare because nephilim are forbidden. Angels would simply destroy their offspring before the mothers realized they were pregnant, rather than disappointing our Father."

I pulled away from her touch to stare at her, my eyebrows furrowed in hurt and anger. "They killed their own children?"

"That was the way, Castiel. If a child was produced in error during those unions, they were destroyed. It happened for millennia."

I was disgusted and I understood why people like the Winchesters existed: Free Will wasn't just a choice. It was something that had to be defended. "Just because something happens for millennia, does not make it just."

"I understand," Lucia responded, approaching me once more. "That is why I ensured Grace's survival against the Battalion of Angels. She had to live. I gave her life. It is as if she is my own."

Smiling lightly at Lucia, I nodded. I could only imagine what it must have been like taking a vessel and hosting a child, making sure she grew and developed as she should. Lucia gave birth to Grace just as much as Evangeline did.

I turned to the stack of books on the table in the library and began sorting them to put them away. Sam would not like his library becoming a shambles while we stayed here. "What of Everett?" I asked, not facing Lucia. "What will happen to him?"

Sighing slowly, Lucia took her time in replying. "Everett will continue on his path of destruction if another Angelic is not produced."

"I thought simply a daughter from Grace and Dean would be enough. Their next child will inherit enough of Grace's powers to take the pain from the Mark in Everett's blood, will she not?"

Lucia waited until I was facing her again to continue. "The theory is sound, Castiel, but I still have my doubts. Grace's bloodline would be enough if her powers were not diluted by splitting her attention with Dean."

"What are you saying, Lucia?"

"Dean and Grace were together last night. If we want to ensure that their next child will be enough for Everett to be saved, an angel needs to be involved at conception, much like her own."

The shock that rattled through my brain was almost too much to comprehend. I had no idea that this disaster would get so out of hand and I could only imagine what Dean would think, knowing his wife would have to host an angel in order to save his son. There was no doubt in my mind that he would agree to it, but I was worried that Grace, half angel, half human, would have some trouble hosting one herself.

And who would volunteer for something like this? To purposely create another angelic hybrid after Father risked so much to protect Grace in the first place?

"How long were you going to wait before bringing this to my attention?"

Lucia smiled, "Only as long as it took you to get to the conclusion yourself." She took a deep breath and gestured to the room. "Grace and Dean will do anything to save their son and we have three days to get Lailah to take Grace as a vessel to ensure their daughter is a nephilim."

"Lailah? You're going to have Lailah take her as a vessel?"

"She's the angel of conception. Who better?"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Grace

I stared at myself in the mirror, seeing the bags under my eyes as I held Everett against my hip. He laid his head on my chest while I stood in the darkness of the room and listened to the dreams of my other two children. Another day gone, another day survived.

He was running warmer than usual, closer to the temperature that Dean used to run, before we were married. Before we had The Mark under control. I glanced down at my eleven-month-old son and fear gripped my throat…I wasn't keeping up.

Dean's Mark of Cain was well under control these days and I didn't waste my time wondering if he would lose control, but that was only because I made physical contact with him constantly. We brushed hands, hugged, and kissed on a regular, daily basis. I absorbed his Mark the way that Everett's needed to be, but because I spent so much time touching my husband, it took away from what my son required. Whatever energy I had left for Everett was sapped by the end of each day and I wasn't sure how much longer I could pull it off.

I had been too preoccupied with Rhett lately to split my focus on listening to angel radio to try and figure out what Castiel had been up to. I knew it was something having to do with helping Everett, but I had no idea what the plan was. I glanced in the mirror at the infant sleeping on my chest and without warning, tears flooded my eyes and I sat down on the floor, leaning up against the wall.

Serra had picked up Levi that evening and I knew she wanted to stay, to talk like we used to, but when she asked if everything was okay, I nodded and pretended I was fine, just as I always did. I could hear her thought process, doubting me, knowing I was lying, but she smiled gently and picked Levi off the floor and headed home, like I needed her to. As I sat on the floor, I could hear her talking to Sam, telling him about how worried she was, that she needed to help me, but had no idea how.

Leaning my head against the doorway, I gasped, trying to get control. Dean would be home soon and this was the last place I wanted him to find me. He would panic, of course, seeing me like this, and I knew I would have to keep up the front for as long as necessary. I was half-angel, after all. I could handle this.

A brief glow shone through the darkened hall and I pulled my head away from the wood and listened. Relaxing upon hearing Castiel's thoughts, I stayed on the carpet, letting a feverish Everett drool across my chest.

"Grace," he began when he saw me on the floor and approached me, "what happened? Are you alright?"

I could only nod, my voice strangled by silent sobs.

"I'll go get Dean," he said, hesitating in place.

Shaking my head violently, I managed, "No."

"You're emotionally unstable. Lucia tells me that women who are emotionally unstable need their mates." Cas stared at me and tilted his head. "Is this more of a job for Serendipity?"

"No," I repeated, staring at him. "Just. Just stay. I'm just tired."

Castiel sat on the bed, facing me as I sat on the floor between the master bathroom and the bedroom I shared with Dean. He watched me carefully and I stared back, reading his thoughts like they were my own. He knew that I was making myself at home in his brain and took a deep breath, ready to share the reason behind his visit. "I've been speaking to Lucia about you and the plan for Everett."

"I know," I said, not bothering to wipe the tears from my face.

"Then you've heard what needs to be done?"

Shaking my head, I closed my eyes. "I know you've been talking about it, Cas, but I'm gonna be honest with you. There's not much I'm comprehending right now."

Castiel stared at me, his blue eyes piercing my very soul, and I knew it wouldn't be good news. It's never good news when he looked at me like that.

"Spill it, Cas," I said, sighing heavily. "You've got maybe an hour before Dean walks in."

Gazing at his hands, folded in his lap, he looked up at me sadly. "Lucia tells me that your status as a nephilim is not enough to produce a child that will inherit enough powers to absorb Everett's."

It was as if Cas was telling me something that I already knew. I only stared back at him; my eyes still red and teary, as my son's were so often these days. This is exactly what I had been afraid of. When Cas told us five months ago that we would have to have a fourth child to absorb Rhett's Mark, I wondered if I would have enough juice to pass along to my newest daughter. Something else would have to intervene. Only a true nephilim would be able to absorb The Mark as I did with Dean, and splitting my genes again would not be enough.

Cas was still speaking and I came back from my own line of thoughts in time to hear him say, "Touching The Mark last night ensured that you could get pregnant in the next three days, but you will need to host an angel in order for a nephilim to be produced."

I blinked very slowly, watching the angel that sat on the edge of our bed. "It's really creepy that you guys are paying attention to when Dean and I fuck."

He hid his shock well, but that came from a decade of spending time with the Winchester brothers. "We're not spying on you, Grace. We're simply trying our best to save your son."

"I know you are, Cas, but do you hear yourself? You're telling me that I have to host an angel? Someone has to take my body as a vessel to knock me up? Even though I've already had three kids." I shook my head, my ponytail hitting the wooden frame of the doorway. "Do you even know if I _can_ host an angel? What happens if the angel half of me spits her back out?"

"That's a risk we're going to have to take."

"For what, Cas? To _hope_ that I get pregnant and to _hope_ that she's the hybrid that we've been waiting for? What if the wrong egg gets fertilized or some other crazy shit? What if it's not even her? What happens if suddenly I've got four kids and none of the other three can even do anything for him?" I laughed, panic turning my voice sarcastic. "Awesome, another kid to feed! Do you realize what a leap this is?"

Castiel waited for me to stop, his face gentle and patient. I stared at him, more tears falling from my eyes and I wished more than anything that I could be back in the hotel room with Dean in New Orleans and we could start this journey all over again. No skipped period or puking in the bathroom. No nephilim/angel war. No unannounced twins. No five weeks in Hell. No werewolves hunting my family.

Nothing. I wanted to undo it all.

"You don't mean that," Cas said quietly.

Hot, angry tears spilled down my cheeks. "Maybe I do."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Grace

Castiel stood and took Everett from my arms carefully, laying him on the bed behind us. He stretched momentarily and settled back into sleep, sweat glazing his tiny forehead. Castiel turned back to me and held out his hand, waiting for me to take it.

"What?" I asked, annoyed.

"Take my hand, Grace."

"No."

He sighed and sat next to me on the floor. "I want to show you what your life would be like if your children didn't exist."

"What, like Clarence in _It's a Wonderful Life?"_

"It's truly a riveting film."

I shook my head. "Forget it." Turning my face away from Cas, I wiped my face and took a deep, shaky breath. The next thing I knew, I was standing in the middle of our old living room, staring at the bar where Dean and Sam sat, eating their steak and eggs after rescuing Serra from the rougarou all those years ago. I whipped around, looking for Castiel, furious that he would do such a thing.

"What have you done?"

He tilted his head, shrugging. "A friend of mine used to call me 'Clarence.'" He lifted his eyebrows, almost smug. "I want you to get a taste, Grace."

Rolling my eyes, I crossed my arms in front of me. "We're not actually time traveling?"

"No," Cas answered, gesturing to Dean and Sam at the bar, "but this time line will play out accordingly, without your accidental pregnancies."

Time sped up as Cas and I stood still in the middle of the living room. I watched Dean and I argue about the stalker and telling me the truth about the entire vision Cas had, so many years ago, I watched as we were hunted by the giant man and then thrown into the hospital where Cas started to wonder about my lineage because my gunshot wound had been so easy to heal. We were tossed forward into the chapel where Dean and I got married and as we approached our honeymoon, time slowed again.

Looking around, I shook my head. I remembered this night. I had decided that we should head to Louisiana for a romantic getaway and Dean was excited because he wanted to go hunting while we were there to test my newfound abilities. I remembered being upset that he desired using me as a guinea pig to push me during a hunt, but the newlywed in me went along with it because it's what he wanted.

"Just remember why we're really going to New Orleans, Mr. Winchester," the Past Me said, walking by the Past Dean, who looked just as good as I remembered him. I watched him stare at my ass in real time and I smiled to myself, remembering how the rest of the night went.

"Oh my God," I said, turning to Cas and trying to block his view. "This is the night I get pregnant with Liberty, right?"

Smiling at me, Cas nodded.

"It's still really creepy that you pay attention to all of this. Speed it back up, you don't need to watch it."

"I already have once," Cas replied, nonplussed. "Humans fornicate very quickly. There are things you can do to slow things down."

"I don't know if I should think that you're pervy or a genius," I said, watching my life speed up again. We drove to New Orleans, went hunting and there we were, standing at the edge of the gravesite where we burned the remains of the spirit that haunted a mansion. This was when we were starting to realize my powers and the fact that I was a nephilim.

Dean attacked Cas, just as he had the first time we lived through this moment, but this time, I didn't rush to try and save him. I watched my past self stand and watch, horrified, but unable to decide what to do. I turned to Cas and let my mouth fall open. "What's happening?" I asked, worried. "Why aren't I stopping Dean?"

"Because you were unsure of yourself then, but when you had been pregnant, you were absorbing some of Dean's powers from The Mark from Liberty, even as a cluster of cells." He sighed and shook his head as he watched Dean pound him, one fist after another. "You don't feel any different, even though you are nephilim."

I watched in horror as Dean pummeled Cas, bloodying his face and breaking teeth with his punches. Finally, Dean hit him a final time and rolled to the side, covering his face with his hands. I watched as I ran to Cas, trying to help him, but he didn't move from his place in the dirt.

"Oh my God, Cas," I breathed. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Eventually, but at this point, my grace is still shaky. I am unable to heal quickly and you are still unsure of how to handle your powers." He turned to stare at me. "This night damages my relationship with Dean."

I closed my eyes as we flashed forward again, speeding through scenes of driving back to the hotel and hesitating at the intersection. Past Cas drove through the intersection that I remembered stopping at, and I watched as him turned left as I continued through the stop sign and headed back to our swank hotel in New Orleans.

Time continued to whiz by, and then we were in the hotel and I stared at myself wrapping Dean's hands with bandages; his knuckles bloody from the fight. I watched as we fell asleep without making love that night, and watched as the sun rose the next morning, with no Serra opening the door that adjoined our rooms.

I shook my head, confused. "No Serra?"

Castiel turned to me and agreed. "No Serra, no Sam. No discussion about your past. No talking about your family's history or bonding over breakfast."

Staring at the hotel room, I could already see a change in Dean. He was sullen and moody, unwilling to touch me and I could tell by my own facial expressions that his thoughts were not welcoming. We spent the entirety of the day in the room together, but alone in our own thoughts. I watched the sun set and realized that it should have been the day I discovered that I was pregnant with Liberty.

"No Lib," I said quietly.

Castiel shook his head. "No Lib," he repeated.

Time sped up again and I closed my eyes, almost unwilling to see where Cas would take me next. He touched my shoulder and gestured to the scene in front of us. I watched as Dean and I packed the rest of our old house and loaded it into a U-Haul. "Where's the moving van?"

"You're not moving to the Big House, Grace. You're moving into the Bat Cave."

I furrowed my eyebrows, confused. The old house that I had shared with Serra was destroyed; obviously by a large fire that had burned out of control. From the looks of things, our battle with the Battalion of Angels had not gone as it had before. Dean stepped over destroyed drywall and the blackened front door, his face stone, as he loaded the small truck with what was left of our possessions. "You didn't come to help," I said quietly, realizing that we had fought without the help of our own angels. "We fought alone." Cas nodded slowly as realization hit me. "Where's Serra?"

Castiel pressed his lips together and I turned physically to face him. "Grace, I told you, things are much different."

"Where is my sister?"

"She was killed during the battle," Castiel said, gesturing at the rubble before us. I could see Sam leaning on the hood of the Impala with both hands, his hair falling forward into his face as his body rocked with sobs. "You tried to heal her, but without Liberty's presence, your nephilim abilities had not yet matured."

Squeezing my eyes shut, I shook my head. "None of this is real," I said to myself quietly.

"But you longed for it a minute ago," Castiel said, putting his hands in the pockets of his trench coat.

Turning faster than I realized I would, I pushed Cas' shoulders as hard as I could, making him trip and step backwards. "Take me back," I growled, "I get it, Clarence. Take me back."

"You need to see how important your children are," he said, shaking his head. "You need to see what the path would have been. I need you to understand how important your imprint is."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Grace

Time sped forward again and I was watching myself eat a sandwich and lay across the table, my arm supporting my head as I chewed. Dean sat across from me, rubbing his face and Sam paced around the library of the Bat Cave. I glanced at Castiel, confused as to what I was watching.

"You were possessed," Cas said simply. "Dean found you on the floor, fighting internally with the demon that took your body."

"Possessed?" I asked, turning back to the scene, "Possessed by who?"

Castiel shrugged, "Crowley. Serra isn't around…she would have been Crowley's meat suit if you remember, but because she's gone in this life, Crowley attempted to possess you."

"And I couldn't fight him off? He took me?"

Gesturing to Past Me, Cas pointed to the table as he spoke, "You still don't understand. Carrying Liberty, you were forced into angelic maturity. Because we fought the angels according to our timeline, Father gave you permission to exist; the cosmic world left you and Dean alone to be who you are supposed to be. In this life, you live in hiding. Your abilities are silenced and you don't comprehend how to protect yourself from the other side."

I stared, open mouthed, at the scene before me. "I can't use my abilities?"

Cas shook his head silently. "No, not without being attacked."

Time sped forward again and I was writhing on the ground in the middle of the dirt, at Sutton Cemetery as the boys tried to approach me. Demon smoke swirled around me, forming a barrier between my body and Dean and Sam. Finally, Dean ran passed the demons, crossing into the Devil's trap that someone had drawn in the dirt. He picked my body up from the ground and took off running towards Sam as he attempted to shoot salt rounds into the sky. Sam gave up the fight and dove towards the Impala, starting the engine and Dean dumped me into the back seat, trying to make a break for freedom.

The Bat Cave materialized in front of me again, refocusing my thoughts as to what I would be watching next. I laid on Dean's bed, sprawled out in a lifeless way. Sam and Dean spoke in hushed tones, gesturing to me occasionally and I moved closer to hear them.

"We can't live like this, Dean," Sam was saying, crossing his arms in front of him. "She can't live like this."

Dean was shaking his head and rubbing his face. "I know, Sam. I fucking know." He rolled his head from side to side and took a ragged breath. "She's miserable. You're miserable…" He faded away and shrugged. "I've pretty much always been miserable, so this is nothing new."

Sam clicked his tongue and sighed heavily in disapproval.

"This isn't the life I imagined when I told you I wanted to settle down," Dean explained quietly. "You don't have to stay. I know seeing her only reminds you of Serra."

I watched Sam clench his jaw at the mention of my sister's name and I pressed my lips together, reminding myself that this was only a vision that Cas was showing me. "Okay, Cas," I said, "can we go back to my real life now?"

"No."

Time sped forward again and I watched Sam drive away in the El Camino, away from the Bat Cave. I turned, looking for my past self once again. I turned in time to see Dean walking away from me and shaking his head, obviously losing Sam. We were alone.

"Why did he leave?" I asked Castiel quietly.

He took a long time to answer and as I took a breath to repeat myself, he began quietly. "The Winchesters have been through a lot together over the years, but Sam losing his one true pairing was more damaging than either one of you could have prepared him for. You were able to cope with losing Serendipity because you had Dean to fall back on. He helped you grieve." Cas paused, taking a breath, "But you constantly remind Sam of the love he lost. He doesn't know how to mourn."

"Where does my having kids fit into this?"

Castiel spread his arms, "Liberty is what began your path to your powers, Grace. Without her, you never discover your true form and without the angels supporting your decisions and the embrace from Heaven, you and Dean are alone."

Closing my eyes, I knew that we were on the move to another scene in the future that I had avoided. As I opened them, I saw myself driving to work in Smoke on the Water, just as I had so many times before. I could see the small pickup in the distance, and knowing that it would be the truck that forced me off the road and eventually rolled the Chevelle, I turned back to Cas, shaking my head.

"We're not going back until you see."

I watched in double time as the demons took me towards the cemetery once more and forced me into a cell in The Pit. I was watching in horror, as five-week stint in Hell was about to begin. This time, I would have to face the torture completely alone.

They ushered me to my cell and then I was close to starving to death. I was dirty and tired, and with each visit to the torture racks, I became less like myself and more like an animal; scared and jumpy. I bled as humans bled and cried at night, seemingly waiting to die. I had no drive, no will to go on, and just as I thought that it was nearing the end of my visit, hoping I would see Dean charge down the dark tunnels to be my knight in shining armor, I watched in terror as the demons dragged his lifeless body towards the cell that Serra had occupied when we had experienced this together.

"Is he dead?" I asked, tears flooding my eyes.

Cas replied quietly, "Not yet."

Turning away from the scene, I approached Castiel and placed my hands on his chest, pleading. "Cas, please don't make me watch any more."

Out of the corner of my eyes, in the dim of the tunnel, I could see a man approaching, but I knew it wasn't Dekar, the demon we had dealt with so many times in Hell. As he came into the light, I gasped quietly, seeing that it was Crowley, alive and well, smiling in the most contented way possible.

"Hello, Squirrel," he said to Dean as he came to. "Welcome home."

I could hear myself crying in my cell near the scene, panic gripping my voice. I watched with trepidation as I saw my husband slowly sit and open his eyes.

They were black.

Whipping back to Castiel, I shook my head slowly. "They killed him so they could have him back as a demon?"

"Of course," he responded. "Crowley and Dean made an efficient team when they were working together. Dean was a bit of a wild card, but," Cas shrugged, "in this timeline, I think he has the ability to control him a bit more."

"I am the leverage."

"He might be a demon, but he's still bonded to you."

"And without my powers," I said quietly, watching my past self curl into a ball in the mud and sob, "I have no ability to fight back."

Cas nodded gently. "And without Glory and Everett, you are unable to heal yourself after each torture session. The Mark of Cain becomes powerful again and eventually, Crowley gives Dean The First Blade."

"And?"

Breaking eye contact with me, Cas stared at his shoes, unwilling to say. He took a breath and gestured to the tunnel, still quickly moving forward in time. I looked up in time to see Dean slamming The Blade across the back of my neck. I froze in place, watching as my blonde braid dropped to the ground, bouncing behind my head as it landed with a sickening thud.

"And once he has complete control over Dean, he makes him kill you," Castiel breathed. "Crowley and his demons take their place on Earth, having no one strong enough to keep them in check."

"What about the angels?" I asked, my eyes still locked on my braid, lying in the mud. I was still in shock over watching my husband, the father of my children, separate my head from my body. Cas was shaking his head, hesitant in speaking. "Castiel. Please. Why don't the angels intervene on Earth?"

"In this timeline, Our Father remains hidden from us, and we believe that if He wanted us to intervene, He would get involved as well. We feel abandoned and no longer care about the life on this Earth."

I finally pulled my gaze away from the disturbing scene before us and turned to stare at Castiel. "You feel abandoned, so you abandon us?"

He shrugged at me. "Yes. Without Liberty and Glory, we have no path."

I did a double take as I was about to watch Dean walk down the tunnel, my blood dripping down the edge of The First Blade, his once beautiful green eyes, now jet black. "What do you mean, without Liberty and Glory?"

"Destiny should not be revealed until it's realized."

"Castiel," I said, setting my jaw, "what are the girls' destiny?"

He took my hand and we were back in the bedroom I shared with Dean, still sitting on the floor with baby drool on my shoulder. I glanced around, taking a deep breath and smiled, despite myself. "Don't change the subject," I said, standing and tears filled my eyes as I saw Everett still sleeping on the bed. Relief spread through me as I turned back to Cas, wiping my face. "Glory is the one we talk about the least. I thought she was the normal one."

Cas pressed his lips together and shook his head gently. "Glory is destined for leadership, but I am unwilling to give details because paths change when too much is revealed, Grace, and you know that. "Liberty and Glory will work as one, connecting this world to the next, but that is all you need to know. The point is," he said, tilting his head, "that you and your offspring have purpose. As does Dean, Sam, and Serra. As soon as you take away one card, the rest of the house collapses beneath you."

I nodded and wiped my face again. "Okay, Clarence," I said, standing before Castiel and taking a deep breath. "What do I have to do?"

"You must take an angel and allow her to use you as a vessel to ensure that angelic abilities are passed on to your next daughter."

"Yeah, you said that." Cas made a face as I continued. "So, I have to be a vessel," I repeated. "For who? You?"

"Oh, no," Castiel said, backing away from me. "I am certain that would be uncomfortable for everyone involved. I would rather not unless absolutely necessary."

"Who then?"

"Her name is Lailah," Castiel said, sighing. "She is the angel of conception and a friend of Lucia's."

I sighed heavily and sat down on the bed next to my son. He slept restlessly and squeezed his eyes shut as he went through yet another one of his vivid dreams. "How long do we have?"

"Three days."

"So, two."

Castiel shrugged, lifting his eyebrows high over his bright blue eyes. "If you want to play it safe, yes. Two." He smiled, despite the horror he had just shown me. "Dean likes to push his luck and deal with things at the very last minute."

"Preaching to the choir, Cas."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Grace

I put Everett to bed along with the girls and cleaned myself up. Cas hung out with me and we did the dishes together as we waited for Dean to get home from the shop. I hadn't heard from him all day, which was surprising, but I was always so tapped into his brain that I knew that he had a good day.

Around seven thirty, Dean walked in, throwing his flannel over the back of the couch and headed towards me in the kitchen. I smiled, trying to act normally, but he could see right through me before he had even crossed the threshold into the kitchen.

"What did you do, Cas?" his deep voice echoed through the silent kitchen as he turned on his friend, trying to suppress a smile.

I sighed and laughed at his reaction. Lying to my husband was nearly impossible and it was hard to believe that he wasn't the psychic. "He showed me some stuff. Told me some stuff," I said, smiling wearily. "You want the short version or the long one?"

Dean kissed my cheek then walked to the refrigerator and took out a beer. "Short first. We'll get to the long later."

Drying my hands on the towel, I tossed it to Cas and he followed suit. We turned to Dean, who had perched on the bar stool at the other end of the kitchen and I sighed. "Give us a bit, Cas?"

"Of course," he said, disappearing on the spot.

Approaching Dean, I took the beer he offered me and sat on the kitchen table facing him. I sighed, "I had a bit of a break down today."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine now, but Everett…he drains me in a way I wasn't prepared for." I took a drink of the beer and rolled my neck. "He's running hot. Really, really warm…like you used to before me. I felt his head today and happened to look in the mirror at the same time and I don't look like me anymore." Shaking my head, I took another breath. "Anyway, short version is that I freaked out about keeping up with Ev, sat on the floor to cry, and Cas showed up." Dean was leaning forward on the stool, taking in every word that came out of my mouth. Admitting the next part out loud would be painful, but my husband deserved to know the truth. "I told Cas that maybe I regretted ever having the kids. Like it would have been easier if they just had ever been born." The pain that traced over Dean's face was hard to look at. I plowed on, "It was a weak moment. Cas told me that without them, it would be a different path altogether, then he " _It's a Wonderful Life"_ -d me and took me on a tour of our timeline without the kids."

Leaning back, Dean took another drink and shook his head. "Give me the Cliff Notes."

"Um," I said, shaking my head, "you almost kill Cas because I don't know I have powers, so I don't stop you, the angels don't come to defend us, Serra dies, Sam leaves, Crowley takes over, and in the end, you die, become a demon, and kill me."

Dean's jaw went slack as he held his beer to his mouth. He stared at me, trying to absorb what I just told him and I took the silence as an opportunity to take a drink of my own beer and take a breath. "Holy mother of God," he whispered as he lowered his beer towards his lap. "I would have killed you?"

"Eventually. Crowley gives you The First Blade."

"All because we don't have the kids."

I nodded. "Lib apparently forced me into angelic maturity and using my powers gained us permission from God…Chuck, whatever you call him, for me to exist." I took another drink of my beer and took a breath, remembering, "Oh, and Lib and Glory? They have some crazy destiny. Apparently, they put balance back between Earth and Heaven and get the angels to defend us from Hell taking over. Literally."

"Glory?" Dean said, raising his eyebrows.

"I know! I was surprised too."

We were silent for a minute and I let Dean take in everything I had described to him. I took the pause in our conversation as an opportunity to stare at him. His white tee shirt was snug and allowed me to trace the curve of his muscles in his shoulders with my eyes. He spun his wedding ring absentmindedly and I watched the muscles in his forearm flex as he did so. It was nice to know that after everything we had been through, I was still so attracted to my husband.

Dean looked up at me with his delicious green eyes and clicked his tongue. "Well, it's a good thing we're good at making kids."

I smiled and shook my head, rubbing my face with one hand. "In other news," I said, taking a drink and hoping that I could just glide into this transition, "I have to host an angel before I conceive in the next forty-eight hours, otherwise, lucky number four will just be another mouth to feed."

He was in mid-gulp, thinking I was about to tell him something interesting that had happened that day, considering the tone of my voice, but as he drained his beer and set the bottle on the table, his eyes found mine and he tilted his head. "You wanna run that by me again?"

Making a face, I pressed my lips together and shrugged. "That's how Cas started this whole timeline tour. That if I wasn't a vessel when I conceived, there was a possibility that my nephilim genes would be too diluted to make a difference in the next baby. She wouldn't be able to help Everett."

"And they waited until now to tell us?"

"Apparently." I shrugged. "Honestly, Dean, I had a feeling. I'm already half and half. She'll only be a quarter nephilim, but half Mark." I took the last swig of my beer. "If I don't take an angel, knowing our luck, we'll probably end up making another Everett."

Dean rubbed his face with both hands, making his biceps flex as he leaned over, trying to catch his breath. "Dude, I've been home, like eight minutes."

"It's a lot to take in eight minutes."

He chuckled and leaned back on his stool and reached for my hand. "How are you handling all of this?"

"I've been through confused, angry, depressed, and now I'm settling into needing to try and get really drunk."

"That's a good plan." I nodded. He smiled and continued. "Forty-eight hours," he said, standing and walking towards the fridge once more. "Wait," he said, closing the door to stare at me, "that means you're pregnant?"

"In the next forty-eight hours. I'd better not be pregnant yet."

"Okay," he said, nodding. "Get Sammy and Serra over here. Let's get to drinking."

"When they're done," I said, making a face.

"Done with what?"

"She calls it the 'Shaggin' Wagon' for a reason."

Dean made a face but then nodded slowly in approval. "Go Sammy. Get some." He opened his second beer and glanced outside into the field between our houses. "Where's Levi?"

"They put him to bed. The baby monitor is in the truck with them." I shrugged. "And let's be honest," I continued, smiling. "She knows I can hear him." Dean chuckled to himself and continued to stare out into the darkness. "Stop trying to look, you perve!" I threw the dish towel at him and he laughed, moving away from me. He turned and tried to pull off his boot with one hand, but wasn't successful, so he sat at the table and I continued. "How did things go at the shop today?"


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Serra

I knew I had done the right thing, deciding to keep the shag carpet in the back of my Wagoneer. It was a horrid shade of orange, but it was the best thing in the world, not getting bruises from the sheet metal when we fucked in the back of the truck. There was still the possibility of carpet burn, but honestly, it was a lot less frequent, especially with the blankets and pillows that had been stacked up over the last few months.

Sammy had a bit of scruff lately and it had done things to me. Since having Levi, he just seemed more rugged; manlier, and it turned me on. My medical training told me that it was because he had offspring to care for and now his body produced more testosterone. Whatever it was, it was good for our marriage.

I pulled his hair as he held me close, kissing his neck and biting his ear. His squared jaw clenched slightly as I tugged a little too hard on his earlobe, but he moaned, so I continued. Bent over me, he tried pulling my undershirt off, but in the tight quarters, we both heard a rip and I started to laugh. "That's the second one this week," I muttered, burying my face in his neck once more.

"I'll buy you a new one," he breathed, unclasping my bra and pressing his body into mine. Shirtless, his chest was warm and his muscles were tense. I traced my fingers over his biceps as he pulled me closer and pushed himself into me. I gasped, my fingers automatically coiling around his shoulders as we developed a rhythm and I smiled as I heard the truck begin to squeak.

Since I had become a Winchester, my life had improved dramatically. Grace and I had some of the hardest adolescent years ever written and I could say with complete honesty that I was grateful for the simplicity of domestic life. I still had my sister and we were alive, married to beautiful men, had gorgeous babies, and lived in amazing houses. Occasionally, I would wake up, panicked, thinking I had dreamt it all and we were still living in Lawrence at our parents' house, hoping to not be killed by some creature that lurked in the night, but I would roll over, see Sam's shoulders rise and fall with each breath and count my lucky stars that we had made it.

Sam rolled off of me and we both gasped for air as we lay on the pile of blankets and pillows in the back of the Wagoneer. I giggled and wiped my face with both of my hands and turned to stare at my husband. "Oh shit," I said, sitting up too quickly and hitting my head on the ceiling. "I need to take my pill." Sam laughed and touched my shoulder as I rubbed my head.

"You could just miss it," Sammy said quietly, smiling. I turned to look at him, slowly, eyebrows up. He smiled at my expression and shrugged slightly. "Too soon?"

Nodding slowly, I let out a laugh. "Levi's not even a year old yet. Yes, too soon."

Sam laid back into the pillows with his arms above his head. His biceps flexed as he supported himself against the blankets. Shrugging again, he grinned. "We could just pop them out, like Dean and Grace."

"We talked about this," I said, pulling my hair into a ponytail. "It doesn't make sense to have a bunch of kids. Two. Two is good." I glanced back at him and tilted my head. "But come on, Grace and Dean have a lot of accidents. I don't know if Grace would have had so many if she could control it."

"You don't think she's happy?"

"She's happy. She's just exhausted." I pulled my shirt back over my head, inspecting the rip in the seam at my hip. "And I think she misses her job."

Sammy nodded slowly, still relaxed back into the pile of blankets. "Maybe when they get this whole thing figured out with Everett, she can go back to work."

"That's a lot of childcare to pay for."

Sam chuckled and opened the back door of the Wagoneer. He rolled out, being too tall to sit up straight and grabbed his shirt and the baby monitor. He held it to his ear after pulling on his shirt and smiled, looking up at me as I climbed towards him. "Listen," he said, holding out the monitor. "He's talking to himself."

I tilted my ear towards the speaker and grinned. Levi's tiny voice echoed through the speaker as he babbled away. Slamming the back door, I turned to take Sammy's hand as we walked up the steps of the back porch into our house. Hesitating slightly, I could hear Grace's voice in my head. Looking up towards the Big House, I stared, concentrating on my sister's words.

Communication had gotten so fluid between us, Grace could communicate with me through my own thoughts. She could manipulate my brain into forming sentences using her voice and words and the first time she did it, I thought I was going crazy. I had been pregnant with Levi and she had been pregnant with the twins, so her abilities were a bit tuned up anyway. She was able to send me thoughts and images without much effort and the more she practiced, the crazier I thought I was getting. It wasn't until our last major blowout before the kids were born that I realized that she was the one doing it and I wasn't completely insane. I shook my head at the memory as I tried to focus on what she was telling me now.

Sammy tried to guide me into the house, but I pulled my hand back and held up a finger. He glanced towards the Big House as well and waited patiently, knowing that Grace and I were talking. I nodded slightly and asked aloud, "When?" Sammy watched as I shrugged. "You wanna go over to their house? She says that we need to drink and there's some stuff they want to tell us."

Nodding, Sam said, "Sure. I'll go change."

Turning back to Grace, I nodded and said, "We'll be there in a couple of minutes." Sammy held the door open for me and we headed upstairs to change and grab Levi.

Once in fresh a fresh tee shirt and jeans, I walked into our son's room and greeted him as he played with his toes in his crib. "Hi, baby!" I said, grinning. He open-mouth smiled back and my heart leapt at seeing him. "Are you hungry, dude?"

Gurgling in response, he immediately grabbed my hair with one hand and my necklaces with the other. "Auntie Grace has some news! Maybe we finally get another one." I put Levi on his changing table and began stripping him for a diaper change. "Maybe Everett will stop being such a pain in the ass!" Levi giggled and clapped his hands once, hearing the excitement in my voice. "Yes! He's such a pain!" I said, grinning and laughing.

Sam came in, freshly changed and looking gorgeous in just a black tee shirt and jeans. He grinned at Levi and me and greeted his son on the table. "Hi, little man." Looking down at me, he ran a hand through his hair. "You want me to make a bottle for him?"

"Yeah," I agreed. "One of the big ones. Maybe then he'll sleep the whole night."

"Not if we wake him up to take him home after drinks."

Shrugging, I shook my head. "We'll just leave him at Grace's if he's still asleep when we're done. He and Glory like to sleep in a pile." Sam chuckled and padded out of the room to make Levi's bottle. "Okay, my little man. Let's go see what your cousins are doing."

I grabbed an extra blanket to wrap him as I walked down the steps and Sam was pulling on boots carrying a bottle. Once again, he held the door open for me and Levi and we walked down the back steps. Johnny, our black lab, came racing up to us, obviously doing his evening hunting session in the barn. He wagged his tail and jumped to see Levi, wrapped in his blanket. "Hey, Johnny. What did you catch for me tonight?" He panted and wagged his tail once more, dropping a mouse at my feet. "Oh, thank you. Excellent job. That stays outside."

Sam laughed again and stopped, pointing back to our house. "Did you take your pill?"

"Mother fucker," I said, handing Levi over and trudging back up the steps. "Go ahead. I'll be right there." Sam laughed and turned towards the Big House with Levi and Johnny running ahead, knowing that someone would let him in when he scratched at the door.

I walked all the way back upstairs to our bedroom, grabbed my pill pack and swore again as I punched out two pills. "Dammit," I said, tilting my head back and swallowing both at once. "You remind me about everything else, Grace. Why can't you remind me to take my pill?"

 _Because you're an adult and you have a phone with an alarm._

"You're hilarious." I shook my head at my sister's almost immediate reply and turned off the light again as I jogged back down the steps. "You want me to bring some booze?"

 _Beer if you got it. Maybe some whiskey? We have some Jameson left, but not much._

"Sammy just bought a new bottle of Jameson and some Summer Shandy. I'll bring it." Walking to the cupboard, I grabbed a few snacks, the bottle of whiskey and the six-pack of beer. I slammed the cupboard door shut and turned off the lights, closing the back door behind me. I tested the door to see if it was locked and headed across the field towards Grace and Dean's.

I opened their back door and let myself in, making myself at home. Dean was holding Levi, talking to him animatedly and bouncing him around. A pang of sadness hit me, knowing that Dean and Everett would probably never share the same type of bond. I was glad that Levi had taken to his uncle so well, and from the look on Grace's face as she held a sleeping Everett, she was too.

She smiled at me as I handed her a beer. Tossing it back immediately, she continued to sway with Everett against her chest. "So what's up?" I asked, leaning back on the counter. I handed out beers and we clinked them together in the middle of the kitchen, then all took a swig.

Grace sighed and smiled, glancing back at Dean and Levi. "Found out some stuff today."

"You're pregnant!" I said, not waiting for her to finish.

She was shaking her head and holding up her beer, trying to get me to calm down. "Not yet."

I clicked my tongue and turned to open the bag of chips that I brought and watched as Sammy handed Levi's bottle to Dean. Obviously already hearing this story, Dean sat at the dining room table with Levi and began to feed him, watching our reactions to Grace's news.

"What then?" I asked, shoving chips in my mouth.

Turning to put Everett in the swing behind her, she wiped the baby drool and sweat off of her chest and approached my bag of chips. "I have to host an angel in the next forty-eight hours or the new baby ends up just another, regular newborn, with only slight angelic powers and/or The Mark."

Staring at my sister, I blinked once, trying to grasp what she said. "You have to host an angel. What does that mean?"

"Just like Mom and Lucia," she was saying through her mouth full of chips. "If I don't take an angel right now, my genes are too diluted to make a difference in Everett."

"Shit," Sammy's voice broke my thought process and Dean nodded. "You guys just can't catch a break."

"Yeah, so," Dean added. "We're here to get fucked up, one last time before she's sharing her body with two others."

I chuckled and shook my head. "She can't get drunk," I replied, making a face. "It's really just a waste of good booze."

"I can hold a buzz," she replied, taking another drink. "Besides, who the fuck cares? I won't be able to drink after tonight anyway."

"Why? Is the angel scheduled for arrival or something?"

"Actually, yeah," Grace said, smiling. "I have just over," she glanced at the clock on the wall behind us, "forty-six hours."

"Why?"

"Because touching The Mark when we're fucking seems to be what gets her knocked up," Dean answered, chuckling. "She'll conceive in the next two days regardless, so we're on the clock."

Sam laughed and opened the cupboard doors to bring down shot glasses and lined them up on the counter. He turned as he opened the whiskey bottle and poured four shots. "I enjoy how casually we discuss all of this."

"What's the matter, Sammy?" Dean asked from his place at the table, still feeding Levi. "You don't like hearing about Grace's ovulation cycle? Or about what she touches when we screw?"

"Oh my God," Sam said, handing his brother a shot glass full of amber liquid. "Stop talking."

Grace laughed as she took the shot I handed her and we raised them into the air. "Well," I said, "here's to getting knocked up, being a vessel, and finally saving Everett."

We tossed back our glasses and grinned at each other.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Serra

I could hear Levi and Glory snoring through one of the baby monitors as I passed it on my way to sit down with the fresh bottle of Jameson at the dining room table. Liberty had been asleep for about three hours and Everett was (temporarily) happily sleeping in his swing. We had been drinking, eating, and talking for the last four hours or so and I knew, just from the feel of the room, that we were only getting started.

"So we knocked down the door, started shooting at anything that was moving, and hoped for the best," Dean was saying, holding his empty glass. "There was salt everywhere and we didn't hit a damn thing."

"You guys are terrible shots," Grace said, laughing. "This one, though," she gestured at me as I set down the new bottle at the table. "She can hit you four times before you hit the ground."

"Yeah, I've seen her in action," Dean replied, tilting his head. "She's a little terrifying."

I grinned at him. "Assault with a deadly weapon," I slurred slightly, winking at him.

Grace leaned forward to open the bottle and pour another round, shaking her head. "You weren't always such a good shot, little girl."

"You shut your face," I said, glaring at her. I broke almost immediately, though, giggling and covering my mouth.

Continuing to the boys, she grinned. "Right when I graduated high school, we got attacked by some demons. They were coming at us from all around and this one," she said, pointing at me, "decided to try and take a shot at one with one of her .45s and it ricochets across the Chevelle and gets me here." Grace stood from the table and lifted her shirt to show Sam and Dean the circular scar on her hip.

"It didn't even embed," I said, defending myself. "Dad pulled it out with his fingers."

"It still fucking hurt," she answered, flicking a Cheeto at me from across the table. I leaned on Dean to try and lift my leg over the bench to sit next to him and tossed a carrot at her. It bounced off of her cheek and landed in her cleavage. Sammy let out a laugh as he watched Grace fish it back out of her shirt.

"Yeah, well," I said, finally safely sitting on the bench next to my brother-in-law. "It was good practice for when I shot you in the leg out at Sutton."

"Bitch," she growled.

"Jerk!" I exclaimed, and we both collapsed into laughter. "Dude! We should play a game!"

"Unless it's a game with 'strip' in its name, no," Dean's voice was deeper than usual, this far gone.

I slapped his shoulder. "Aw, come on. It's a good one." Grace was already shaking her head and chuckling. "Never Have I Ever!"

"What the hell is 'Never Have I Ever'?" Sammy asked, leaning across the table for the Cheetos.

I stared at Grace and nodded at the thought that she pushed at me. "It goes like this: Never have I ever…had sex." Grace and I both raised our glasses and tossed back the shot of Jameson. I glared at Dean and Sam expectantly. "You both have children. And Sammy, I nailed you about three hours ago. You've both had sex. Drink."

Dean grinned and tossed back his shot. "Alright, it's like 'Truth or Dare', without the 'Dare'."

I nodded at him. "Pretty much!"

"Alright," Grace said, pouring another round. "My turn. Never have I ever…gotten lost on a hunt." I glared at her and took a shot. Sam and Dean both laughed at me, turning to stare.

"It's not like I didn't know where I was."

"It took you three hours to get back to the car." She giggled at me as I poured myself another shot.

I took the Jameson and tilted my head. "Fine! Never have I ever slept with two different people in the same night."

Staring at me from over her shot glass, Grace tossed it back and raised her eyebrows at her husband, who also took a shot. "It's like we were meant to be," she said flirtatiously.

Laughing, I poured a new shot for Dean and Grace. "Yeah, meant to be whores."

Dean gasped mockingly. "Such language!" He stared at Sammy and grinned. "Never have I ever had sex in a pick-up truck."

Sammy tilted his head and downed the shot, grinning. I proudly drank mine as well and winked at my husband. He looked back at his brother and smiled devilishly. "Never have I ever been so drunk I couldn't stand."

I made a face and glanced at Dean as we both took a shot. Shaking my head, I gasped. "Oh man," I started, wiping my face, "I am trashed."

"Okay, shut up! My turn," Grace exclaimed, pouring more drinks. "Never have I ever…had to kill the person I was sleeping with."

Grace's face lit up as both Sam and I had to take a drink. Dean chuckled as well, watching her from across the table. She pointed at me and said, "Vampire."

He grinned back and pointed at Sammy. "Werewolf."

"It's shocking how much we have in common," I said, wiping my face with both of my hands. I was starting to weave a bit, sitting on the bench next to Dean. "Dude, I need some water."

"Lightweight," Grace muttered and got up from her seat, obviously still quite coherent and poured me a glass of water.

After she set it down in front of me, Sammy glanced at her and lifted his eyebrows. "When did you find out that you couldn't stay drunk?"

She took a deep breath and sighed, staring at me from across the table. "Right after Dad and Emery died." Gesturing to the both of us, she continued, "We had a pretty big blow out and she took off. I tried to drink our entire liquor cabinet, but it just wouldn't stick. I would feel great for about twenty minutes…then it would wear off, and I would have to down another half of a bottle, just to try again." She giggled and I knew that she was feeling the effects of the booze, at least temporarily. We had to keep her drinking.

"Too real. Dean! Go!" I said, pushing on his arm to get his attention. "Quick before she sobers up."

He laughed and poured another round of drinks. "Never have I ever spent more than one night in jail," he said, grinning. Grace and I glanced at each other and grinned, lifting our shot glasses and clinking them together over the table.

The boys watched as we downed another shot together and Sammy shook his head. "Alright, wait. We've never been in jail longer than a night, but you two have?"

"We are motherfucking bad asses," Grace slurred as she leaned her hand across his shoulder. She gripped the muscle in Sammy's arm and glanced at me, smiling suggestively. "Oh, Serra. That _is_ nice."

"Hey!" Dean said, staring at his wife in mock jealousy.

"Shut up, shut up!" Sammy said, shaking off Dean's sentiment. "Go on. Tell us about how you are motherfucking bad asses."

Grace giggled and shook her head, so I tried to take over. "After Daddy died, we just drove and we ran out of gas in the middle of Bumfuck, Oklahoma." I paused as we both begin to giggle. "Grace said we needed gas, so I suggested stealing a car."

"So I did!" Grace continued, her voice high and girlish. "I found the keys, we drove it back to the Chevelle…she smiled at me and we started laughing again, "and I was going to siphon the gas out of the tank for us."

"And?" Dean asked, leaning forward towards his wife.

"And Lucky opened the trunk!"

Sam and Dean exchanged glances, chuckling. "And?" Sammy prompted.

Grace lowered her voice to a whisper. "And there was about a kilo of coke!"

We dissolved into a pile of laughter, lying on the table. I continued, struggling to breathe. "So the first thing she does is freak out."

"A kilo of cocaine," Grace repeated slowly, enunciating each word. "Monsters, I can deal with. Drugs apparently scare the shit out of me." She pointed at me accusingly. "You're the one that said we should put it back!"

Dean let out a bark of a laugh. "Put it back?"

"Yeah, why didn't you just leave it on the side of the road? Book it out of there?" Sammy added, putting both hands through his hair.

"I was fifteen! I didn't know!"

Turning to stare at his wife, Dean grinned. "What's your excuse?"

Grace turned to defend herself. "I was emotionally compromised! Dad had just died! We were exhausted!"

I poured Grace's shot and then spilled whiskey on the table, so I bent to lick it up. Sammy shook his head at me and I immediately raised my eyebrows at him. "What were you doing when you were fifteen? Homework? Cuddling with your wittle bwankie?" I made a mockery of him, struggling not to spill more whiskey. "Goody two-shoes over here. We were fighting to survive!"

Dean laughed and hit the table with his hand, barely keeping himself upright. "It's true. He was a pussy."

Sam looked betrayed. "Oh give me a break, you and Dad had me out in the dark with a sawed-off from the time I could walk."

"Oh, don't sound like you're some big hero. You fought us tooth and nail on hunting. Wanted nothing to do with it. It's how you ended up at Stanford." Dean grinned at him and tilted his head. "I think your wife is more of a bad ass than you ever were!"

Grace took the shot I handed her and smirked. "Them be fighting words!"

Sammy rolled his eyes and shook his head. "So finish the story. How did you end up in jail for more than one night?"

I took a deep breath and licked the whiskey off of my hand as I continued. "We tried to drive it back and Gracie was driving like a bat outta hell…we come over this hill and a highway patrol lights us up."

"No," Dean breathed, hooked into the story.

"Yeah! So he pulls us over, Grace is cool as a cucumber. I was fucking losing my mind. So she makes up this story about our cousin Marcus let us borrow the car…"

Rolling my eyes, I took over, "So the cop gets us out of the car and pats us down and starts pulling guns from every orifice. Gracie has her .45 tucked in her jeans, two knives on her ankles…"

Grace laughed and pointed. "You had the twins in your holsters and a nine tucked into your sock or something and then two blades, too." We were laughing again. "The cop just didn't know what to do with us."

"They bring us in and that's where we got free meals and a cot to share for three nights in a row."

Sammy ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. "How the hell did you get out of that?"

I could tell by the look on Grace's face that she was starting to sober up, so I gestured to her glass. She downed her shot and took a breath. "We couldn't get a hold of anyone, until Gracie remembered this guy that Dad knew. Bobby something."

Sam and Dean exchanged looks from across the table. "Bobby Singer?" Dean asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Oh my God, yeah!" I exclaimed, slamming my hand down on the table. "How did you know that?"

"He was like a father to us," Sam said quietly. "How did your dad know him?"

Grace shrugged. "I don't know. He just did. Helped us out a couple of times. In Oklahoma, he called a guy named Rufus. Sent him to bail us out and clear our records." She grinned. "Even stole our guns from lock up on our way out."

"Holy shit, Rufus?" Dean was shaking his head and laughing. "How did we know the same people and never cross paths?"

Grace spoke quietly, now completely sober. "I think we did. A couple of times, at least."

Tilting his head at her, Dean was listening carefully. "When?"

She took a deep breath and shook her head. "A gas station and then a diner. I remember your face." She smiled and winked at him. "You were hot, even back then."

Drifting to the back of his mind, Dean's eyes glazed over momentarily, trying to place Grace's face in his travels. I watched her nod at one of his memories. "That's me," she said softly. "In the rear of the diner when you walk back to get Sam's Legos." He smiled at his wife, seeing only her face. I knew Sam and I had faded away in his mind and it was so fucking sweet when he had eyes only for Grace.

"I remember you. I winked," he whispered, shaking his head slowly.

Grace nodded, smiling softly. "I know. I thought about it for days."

Rolling my eyes and filling shot glasses, I broke the mood by yelling, "Jesus fucking Christ! We get it! You're in love!" I shoved a glass towards Dean and another at Grace and continued. "Shut up! Keep drinking!"

Grace laughed and finally broke eye contact with Dean and took the shot I was pushing at her. "Fine!" she said, downing it and putting it back in front of me. "I want food, though, hold on."

"All right, I thought of another 'never have I ever'," Sammy said. "It's related to you jailbirds."

"Hit me!" I yelled, leaning over the table at Sammy. "Make it good, because I'm getting bored!"

Sam took a deep breath and said, "Never have I ever spent the night in a drunk tank."

Glancing at my sister, we made eye contact and lost it, laughing so hard that Grace had to sit down on the floor. I took my shot and continued to giggle. "Oh yeah, that was funny."

"What did you do?"

"She rode a horse into a bar. Then ordered a beer," Grace said, wiping the tears from her face. "Drunk and disorderly."

"Which is basically you all the time," Dean laughed.

We laughed more as Grace made her way back to the table, laying out more snacks from the fridge. The microwave beeped after a few minutes and she walked back to the dining room table with a giant plate of nachos. "See, this," Dean started, "this is why you're my wife."

"What, so I can serve you food?" she replied, leaning into him as he wrapped his arm around her waist. He stared up at her as she stroked his face and bent to kiss him.

"Strip poker is next," Dean muttered under his breath as he came up for air.

I was already shaking my head. "No, Grace cheats. She can hear us!"

"I won't cheat, you big baby."

She threw a deck of cards at me and I caught it. As I took them out of the box and began to shuffle, I started shaking my head. "If I end up the only one naked…"

Both of the boys were pursing their lips and nodding at me, waiting for the cards to be dealt. I looked up at Grace, gasping for effect and she giggled as she sat next to Sammy once more.

I dealt the cards and Grace poured more shots. We dug into the plate of nachos and began to play.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Serra

An hour later, Dean was shirtless, Sammy was down to his boxers and Grace was in her tank top and underwear. I glanced down at myself, still holding on to my flannel and tank top, but about ten minutes ago, I grabbed a pillow from the couch to soften the bench on my almost-bare ass.

"Read it and weep, kids," Grace said, laying down her hand. A three of a kind smiled back up at us and the boys groaned and rolled their eyes. I shrugged out of my flannel and tossed it onto the table and Dean stood to drop his jeans.

Sammy looked desperate. "I've got nothing left to lose!"

Grace grinned as she stood to get another beer. "Take off your watch," she said as she bent over to pick up one of the boots she tripped on.

Glancing back at her, Sam nodded and smiled, but then took a double take. "Just how many tattoos do you have, Grace?" he asked with his eyebrows lifted into his hairline.

Dean admired her proudly and smiled. "I know," he declared.

She rolled her eyes and pointed to me, "I've got more, but hers are bigger."

Nodding, I gestured back to my sister. "Whip 'em out!" She chuckled and shook her head, going back to the fridge. I addressed the boys, "Daddy was always so against tattoos, but she came home with that damn sugar skull one day…it was the end of the world."

I tried to get up from my place on the bench, but tripped over my own feet and ended up falling into Dean. He caught me and helped me stand and I took the opportunity to feel the muscle mass beneath his skin. Biting my bottom lip, I glanced at Grace. "You know, we should just switch one night."

"Serendipity Adeline," Grace gasped from her place on the table, failing at hiding the grin that crept across her face.

"Switch what?" Sammy asked, cleaning up the stack of cards on the table.

"They're talking about wife swap," Dean said, leaning back against the wall behind him. "Your girl sees somethin' she likes."

"Oh, shut up," Sammy said, his face going red.

Grace walked back up the table and put her hands on her hips. "Oh, that will go over well," she said, glaring at me.

"You can't handle my man!" I yelled, pretending to lunge at her.

She replied almost immediately, with a smile glued to her face. "Watch me!"

Dean stared at his wife and shook his head, laughing. "Just make sure you're not ovulating. That could be weird."

Sam shook his hands and got up from the table. "Okay, I think we just crossed the line into crazy. Let's roll you home, Lucky."

"I don't get a piece of Dean?" I stared at him and did my best to stay completely serious.

He watched me and put his hands on his hips, "Do you want a piece of Dean?"

Biting my bottom lip again, my eyes followed my husband's treasure trail down his chest and onto his pelvis. It disappeared below the waistband of his boxers and I raised my eyebrows comically.

"I'd like a piece of Serra," Dean muttered under his breath and Grace smacked him across the back of the head, laughing. Grace pointed at me. "You, get your drunk ass home," she whipped around to face Dean, "and you," he was laughing and protecting himself with his hands up as she approached him, "get your mind out of the gutter!"

Sammy picked up his clothes and pulled them on, one layer at a time. He tossed me his flannel, since I couldn't find mine and grabbed me by the hand, leading me back towards the door. "Can Levi stay here tonight?"

"Yeah," Dean replied, still chuckling. "No problem."

"Okay," Sammy continued, still pulling me back towards the door. "I'll come get him tomorrow morning. I'm taking this one home before she becomes a problem."

"I'm not wearing any pants!" I replied, feeling better than I had felt in months.

"Goodnight!" Sam yelled, still heading towards the back door. With a final push, Sammy closed it behind us and led me across the field between our houses. With one motion, he picked me up and fireman carried me through the wheat, kissing me as we walked.

We made love in the living room that night, not even making it up the stairs to our bedroom. I took off what was left of his clothes and pushed him down onto the couch, holding his arms in place as I straddled his hips. I kissed my way down his chest and his hips, pulling off his boxers and pushing myself down onto him. He groaned as I moved, leaning forward and kissing his neck and drinking in his scent.

…

The next morning, the sunlight streamed in through the front door and I struggled to open my eyes. "Oh fucking hell," I said, rolling over, away from the light. I could hear Johnny thumping his tail next to me.

"What the matter, there, Lucky? Hung over?"

"You need to quiet down."

Sam's laugh echoed through his chest and he rolled out from under me. Sitting up slowly, he rubbed his face and looked around. "I should probably go get Levi, huh?" Johnny began his tail-wagging dance as Sam struggled to stand.

"What time is it?"

"Just after seven."

I buried my face in the couch cushions and nodded. "Yeah, the kids will be up."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Sam

I headed upstairs for a change of clothes and to wash my face, but then I glanced at the shower and decided to rinse off, especially after the night we had. I don't think I was as bad off as Serra, but I was hurting; my head was pounding and sunlight was much too bright.

Feeling a bit more human after my shower, I grabbed my phone off the dresser as I walked through our bedroom, drying my hair as best as I could with the towel. I began flipping through the emails and texts that I had gotten over the night, but nothing seemed important, so I set it back down and looked for new clothes. Grabbing a pair of jeans out of the laundry basket, I shook them out and almost fell over when I tried to put them on, tripping over Johnny as he ran through the room, but I regained my balance just in time. I was just about to head back down stairs, but Serra's birth control pill pack caught my eye.

Chuckling to myself, I reached for my phone once more to double check the day of the week, confirming that it was Saturday. I shook my head and padded back down the hall and down the steps towards my wife, who was still asleep on the couch.

"Hey, Sere?" I asked, walking back into the living room. "What day is it?"

She groaned from her place on the couch, still with her head face down in the cushion. "What?"

"What day is it?" I repeated, tilting my head.

With some effort, she turned to stare at me, her auburn hair a shambles as it fell into her face. "I don't know. Friday?" She rubbed her face in the pillow as I approached her and buttoned my shirt. "Thursday? Did I work yesterday? Yes." Finishing her narration, she stared up at me and squinted. "Friday?"

"It's Saturday."

Rolling over, still with her eyes half closed, she let her arm fall over her face as she lay on her back, trying her best to stare up at me. "And?"

Holding out her pill pack, I tilted my head. "Just how many pills did you miss this month?"

"What?" Serra sat up quickly, her eyes opening wider and grabbing the package to stare at it. "Mother _fucker_ ," she said, slamming her hand down on the couch next to her. She punched out the pill she missed and shoved it in her mouth as I stared to laugh. "Don't laugh too hard, there, Winchester. You might be getting your wish."

"I hope it's a girl this time." She reached up to swing at me and I ducked away, laughing, as I went for the back door. "I'm gonna go get our first mistake," I chuckled, reaching for the door as Serra threw the pillow at me. "Maybe he slept through the night!"

…

Approaching the back door to my brother's house, I could see all the lights on. I knocked on the window and waved at Grace as she struggled with Everett. She acknowledged me and I let myself in as Johnny galloped through the field, chasing after birds and rodents in the brush. I shook my head and laughed; we had never installed fences around the property, but our black lab had never tried to leave the property. He was happy to be close, but still run free.

I walked into the kitchen to the sound of crying babies. Everett was screaming as Grace attempted to console him and I made an apologetic face as I greeted both of them. Levi was crying as well, though not nearly as desperately as Everett, but Dean bounced him as he shook a bottle. "Welcome to the jungle, Sammy," he said, making a face. "We got fun and games."

"Funny," I said, holding my hands out for my son. Levi saw me and leaned towards me immediately as I approached. "How did last night go?"

"The night was fine," he answered, giving me the bottle he shook. "This morning was a bitch."

"Bitch," Liberty's voice echoed behind my brother and I couldn't help but smile.

"Good one, Dad," I muttered as Dean turned around, laughing.

Bending down a bit to get more to her level, he ran his hand through her fine blonde curls. "Baby girl, I say that a lot, but it's probably a good idea to wait until you're about thirteen to try that one out." She nodded and grinned at him and I still couldn't believe how much of his face I saw in his daughter's.

"I can't get over how much she looks like you," I said, watching her run back to the television and sitting next to Glory.

"I know," Dean replied, shaking his head. "It's a travesty." He turned towards Grace as she walked by, but sidestepped her and Everett, trying to stay out of the way as much as he could. Without a word, she padded upstairs, shushing the baby as she climbed.

Nodding towards Grace as she walked out of the kitchen and back up the steps with Everett, I asked, "Is he like this every morning?"

Dean pressed his lips together and ran a hand through his hair. "Pretty much. It's worse today, I think, because she smells like Lee." I tilted my head, confused, and Dean tried to explain. "Whenever she picks up one of the girls, he throws a little hissy fit, and they're his sisters." He turned to pick up his coffee mug and took a sip. "She made the mistake of changing Levi's diaper before she picked him up this morning and he lost his shit."

"Man, I'm sorry. He's here often enough. We shouldn't have left him."

"It's really no big deal, Sammy," Dean answered, taking another sip. "We can't stop living our lives because of it. Besides," he said, sighing, "this will hopefully wrap itself up in the next forty weeks or so."

I couldn't help smiling as I said it, "Is she pregnant?"

"She's taking the angel tonight." Dean looked away, his eyes finding the window to avoid my gaze.

Closing my mouth, I nodded, knowing that Dean would be uncomfortable with anything possessing Grace, regardless of if it was there to help her or not. He wouldn't be in control of the entire situation and that was something that my brother was terrible at dealing with. "It'll work out, Dean," I said quietly.

"It had better," he answered, not looking at me. "I'm losing her."

Grace came back down the steps in a tank top and shorts with her hair up, away from Everett's grasp and she tried to smile at me as she poured another cup of coffee. Her face was flushed and she looked exhausted as she stood next to the counter, still holding their son. Everett was down to just a diaper and was red faced and sweaty, despite the fact that it was the end of September and fall was starting to get chilly. I glanced at Dean, who had turned and was watching his son and wife over his coffee mug. The crinkles around his eyes were laced with concern, and I couldn't help but have pity for he and Grace.

Becoming a father had changed the way I thought about everything. When considering a decision, the first thing to enter my mind was always how it would affect Levi and knowing that Dean and Grace were being forced into a decision because of their son, they simply had to deal with the potential consequences that came with having another child. I heard Serra and Grace talking about how little attention Liberty and Glory already received and now, especially with adding a fourth child, their low-maintenance daughters would be put further on the back burner.

Grace looked up at me with sad eyes, obviously hearing my editorial, and shrugged weakly. "I'm hoping that's not the case," she said quietly. "I really hope that Cas is right and this one will balance him out. Then I can spend more time with the older girls."

Pressing his lips together, Dean understood what she was referencing. She gazed at him and wiped her face with the back of her arm. As she reached out to Dean, he extended his arm and she closed her eyes as she pressed her palm down on the faded Mark of Cain. As I watched the exchange, I raised my eyebrows, confused. Taking a breath, Dean explained as Grace took a few deep breaths. "Easy fix," he said quietly. "Rhett's like a parasite, just taking from her constantly. My Mark has never been like that…she's always gained something from touching it. We work together."

"Why doesn't Everett's work the same way?"

Dean shrugged as Grace finally removed her hand from his arm. "Your guess is as good as mine. We thought it was because he was born with it, as part of him, and that Glory may have had something to do with the balance for awhile, but that's just a shot in the dark." He shrugged. "Want some coffee?"

I was already shaking my head. "Nah, I got some work to do and Serra's gonna be hungover all day."

"Last night was fun," Dean said, watching Grace walk away, still holding Everett. "It felt good, you know? Just to be us?"

Nodding, I smiled. "Yeah, like old times."

"Yeah." He took a sip, smiling lightly. "We'll get back to that. As soon as that kid gets his shit figured out."

"Are you nervous about the angel?"

"Of course I am, Sammy." Dean looked away, out the window again, "But what else can we do?"


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Sam

I climbed the steps to our back porch and let myself in, holding Levi and his now-empty bottle. Johnny came running up the stairs to join us, pushing past us as he ran in to find Serra. I could hear Serra reacting to Johnny attacking her with kisses and trying her hardest to be mad at him, but giggling anyway. "No! Get down! Get off me," she was saying as I walked into the living room. Levi smiled at the sound of his mother's voice and I sat in the chair across from her and set Levi on the floor. He took off at a crawl immediately, trying to get to Serra as fast as possible.

Johnny froze, watching the baby crawl across the floor. He was always really careful about stepping around the kids, starting with his love for Liberty. Johnny's dedication to Dean's oldest was something that had never wavered. She was easily his favorite person and he spent majority of his time with her when he wasn't with us.

Levi succeeded in crossing the living room floor and climbed to stand at Serra's feet. She watched with a grin on her face as he crept closer to her. "I don't think I'm ready for this," she said, glancing at me.

"Well, he's almost a year old," I answered, shrugging. "It's about time for him to start walking, don't you think?"

"Shut your face," she replied, staring back down at Levi. "I wanna push him over."

"Serra," I scolded. She grinned at Levi, ignoring me, as he managed his way towards her face. He finally succeeded in getting to her and reached with all his might, lunging for her face.

"You can't walk yet!" she said, lifting him from the ground. "Momma's not ready!" He gurgled in response, grinning as his thick, dark hair fell into his face. She combed her fingers through it, brushing it out of his eyes and glared at me. "Can we cut the mop yet?"

"No. I'm not ready for _that_."

Shaking her head, Serra rolled her eyes. "What is it with you and hair?"

Before I could answer, my phone began to ring from inside my jeans pocket. I pulled it out and glanced at the screen, raising my eyebrows and staring at Serra. She caught my look as I answered it and she brought herself into a sitting position on the couch. "Hey, Dean, what's up?"

"Get Serra over here, right now."

Serra was up and moving before I even had a chance to reply. She was pulling on jeans and a hoodie as she searched for shoes and I stood to pick up our son. "What's happening?"

"Just get her over here." Dean hung up before I could argue. Serra was out the door in seconds, sprinting across the field between our houses before I had a chance to ask what was wrong.

I moved quickly as well, grabbing Levi and heading towards the Big House as fast as I could while carrying the baby. Striding into the kitchen, I caught sight of Liberty and Glory at the top of the stairs from behind the baby gate, watching from the second floor. I followed their gaze to see Grace and Everett collapsed in a pile on the floor in the middle of the living room, a scorched circle surrounding them where it looked like a bomb had gone off.

Outside of the ring, around an unconscious Everett and Grace, there was an explosion pattern like I had never seen. It was as if they had been the cause of the destruction around them. Books were scattered off of shelves, stuffed animals and toys had been blown out of the toy basket that sat near the TV and invoices from the shop were littered all around, some pages still falling.

"Holy shit," I whispered as I walked in. Serra was already kneeling next to her sister, feeling for her pulse and rolling her away from Everett. She did the same to the baby, rolling him to his back, touching his neck, and listening to him breathe. Apparently satisfied, Serra went back to Grace and lifted one of her eyelids and stared.

"Gracie?" she asked, glancing at Dean, who was kneeling next to them on the ground. "What the fuck happened?"

I didn't know until then if Dean was even capable of being in shock. I had never seen him struggle to jump into action or wonder what to do next. It was the first time in my life that I had ever seen my big brother simply stare at his wife and shake his head. "I don't know," he finally said, "Everett was in full tantrum mode and Grace set him down to redo her hair. He was, uh…he was clawing at her to get picked up again…"

I heard the flutter of wings and turned to see Castiel standing behind me. He approached Grace and Everett on the carpet as Dean continued. "So, she bends down to pick him up and he takes this deep breath and the whole room lights up."

"Did she act or react?" Cas was asking as Dean took a breath.

"What?"

Cas turned to Dean and repeated himself. "Did she act or _react_ to Everett? Was she lighting up the room or was he?"

Shaking his head again, Dean shrugged. "I have no idea, Cas…but I saw them."

Serra turned and raised her eyebrows. "Saw what?"

"Her wings."

We all whipped around to stare at Dean. He sat in the middle of the floor, facing us, nodding. We had seen Cas in action before, lighting up the room during a fight, or making a big entrance and seeing his wings, I mean, he was an angel, but my sister-in-law…she was half human. It never occurred to me that she would have wings as well.

"So she was reacting to Everett," Cas said under his breath. "Everett is responsible for this destruction, which is something I was worried about."

"You knew he would literally explode?" Serra asked, staring at Castiel. "Look at this place, Cas. What happened to him?"

"Everett has no coping mechanisms whatsoever. The human part of him is being drowned by his genetics. He has gotten old enough that Grace can no longer keep up with maintaining his pain and aggravation, so he had a tantrum fueled by The Mark." Cas turned towards Dean and raised his eyebrows. "You remember how that lack of control felt."

Nodding, Dean closed his eyes. "Yeah."

I glanced at my wife, exchanging the same concerned look, then stared at my brother. "The last time you lost control like that, you killed someone."

Castiel turned to stare at me once more, lifting his eyebrows for emphasis. "Grace just stopped Everett from doing the same thing."

He bent towards her, laying his palm against her head. Serra remained close, watching Cas' every move. Closing his eyes to listen, we all waited silently for Grace to open her eyes.

Seconds later, Grace's blue eyes finally opened and searched the room, staring at all of us. She was remarkably calm, considering what had just happened, and Dean moved closer to her and smiled gently. "Hiya, gorgeous," he said quietly. "You okay?"

She nodded as she sat up slowly, her hair falling around her face. Looking around, she stared at him and asked, "Where's Everett?"

Serra moved slightly, revealing our nephew to his mother. "He's okay, Gracie. He's right here." She paused, "What happened?"

Closing her eyes, Grace shook her head. "I don't really know. He had a fit because I put him down. He just lost it." She rubbed her face with her hands. "It's like I could see it before it happened and I just bent down around him. I don't know what happened after that."

Dean tilted his head. "The room shook. Hell, the whole house shook," he said, relief seeping into his voice. "You bent over him and…" he faded away, unsure of how to continue. "Well, honey, you've got an impressive wingspan."

"What?" Grace whispered, turning towards Dean.

"When the room lit up, I could see your wings, Gracie. They're…big."

Cas and Dean helped Grace stand as Serra stood with them. Serra took a breath and ran her hands through her hair: she was still dealing with her hangover, I knew, and she was thrown into consciousness quicker than she was used to. "Did you know you have wings?" Grace was shaking her head, mystified. "Cas?"

He turned and nodded, "I have seen and heard Grace's true form."

Grace held out her hands, palms out. "Wait, stop. I don't care about the wings. We'll talk about that later. Let's go back to the fact that Everett had a meltdown big enough to rattle windows and shake books off the shelves." She looked down at her still-unconscious son. "Cas, is he okay?"

"For now," he replied, shrugging. "Although, you might not always be there to absorb his shockwave, Grace."

"I know I won't," she said, glancing at Dean. "We're running out of time." She spun in a complete circle slowly, looking around. "Where are the girls?"

"Upstairs. I took Lib and Glory up to find Lib's blanket."

Grace seemed to breathe easier, closing her eyes and rubbing her face again. She stared down at Everett and shook her head sadly. "Oh, baby boy. What are we going to do with you?"

Serra hugged Grace and said, "Take the angel. Right now."

From over Serra's shoulder, Grace stared at Dean and nodded. "Okay," she whispered, knowing how desperate the situation had become.

Pulling away from her sister, Serra looked at me and gestured towards the girls upstairs. "We'll take the girls over to our house. Let's give them the time to deal with this."

"What about Everett?" I asked, pointing to him, still unconscious on the floor.

Grace and Dean exchanged another look and Grace shrugged. "He can just stay asleep as far as I'm concerned. He needs to chill out."

Castiel walked over to Everett and knelt near him, listening carefully. He put his hand to Rhett's tiny forehead. A small flash of blue light illuminated from under Cas' hand and the baby moved slightly, his whole body relaxing.

Grace's voice was worried. "What did you do?"

"I settled his mind as I did before. Serra and Sam need to take all four children back to the Small House. I don't know how Grace will take the angel that is coming and I would prefer that they are safely with you."

"This is sounding worse all the time," Dean muttered under his breath. He turned towards the steps and raised his voice. "Lib! Are you two okay?"

"Yes!" she shouted back to him.

He walked towards the base of the steps and took them two at a time to unlock the baby gate at the top of the stairs. Liberty was struggling to hold onto her sister as she flapped her hands and gurgled towards Dean. Carrying them both down the steps, he faked excitement, saying, "You two get to have a play date over at Auntie Lucky's and Uncle Sammy's house today with Levi. How's that sound?"

A grin slid across Liberty's face and she clapped once, Glory watching her reaction and mimicking her immediately. "Sweepover!" Libby shouted, staring at Serra.

"A sleepover?" Dean repeated, looking back at me. I nodded and smiled lightly. "Sure, you can sleepover. Go get your stuff." Libby took off, flying back up the stairs, Glory straining to get down to follow her.

"I'll go help her," Serra mumbled as she took Glory from Dean's arms and hiked back up the steps.

…

We trudged across the field with three extra kids in tow. I carried a now-sleeping Levi, Serra carried Everett, who was snoring lightly now that Cas had ensured his sleep, and the girls ran ahead, both of them falling occasionally over their own feet and then getting up to run again, giggling and squealing as they did so. When I had closed the back door of Dean's house, we had locked eyes. I saw a fear and desperation in him that I had never seen and I hoped that their last resort would work.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Dean

An angel was about to take possession of my wife's body. A fluffy-winged dickhead would be rattling around inside her and it would be watching us every time we shared a touch or a longing glance. We wouldn't have a moment alone together again for another fortyish weeks. I shut my eyes, trying to push my selfish thoughts away, knowing that we had dealt with worse and that I needed to see the bigger picture, so I tried not to linger on the fact that I knew when I reached for her, there would be a second woman, waiting behind Grace's blue eyes.

Grace was listening to my rant. She was always listening. She stared at me as I took a deep breath and held out my hand for hers. While holding my gaze, she opened her mouth to speak. "Cas?"

He didn't bother to ask what she needed. He just looked up at the both of us, nodded once and smiled boyishly. "That part is already finished," he said, attempting a joke. We didn't even glance at him, so he made a face and shrugged. "I understand. I need to assure things are in order with Lailah anyway. You have just over an hour."

He disappeared on the spot and without another thought, I was all over Grace. I wrapped my arms around her, breathing her in her scent, and leading her towards our oversized sofa in the corner. She reciprocated immediately and brought her hands up and around my shoulders, running her fingers through my hair and tugging at my clothes.

This was our last chance to do this alone.

Finally breaking apart and gasping for air, I held her face in my hands and stared into her eyes. "I'm sorry, Grace."

"Sorry," she gasped, pulling away from me. "Sorry for what?"

"For Everett, for The Mark. For you having to take an angel." I shrugged. "For everything."

She rolled her eyes and made a face. "Shut up and fuck me."

I complied.

Pushing her down and leaning over her, I shrugged out of my shirt and pulled her tank up and over her head, her hair spilling out of it as she laid her head back on the pillows. I attacked again, kissing her neck and biting her ear and she gasped, pushing me on.

We didn't waste much time with foreplay. I wanted her more now than I did the first day I met her. Scenes from the skuzzy bar played through my head from that night when all I wanted to do was take her home with me right then and there, and do pretty much what I was doing now. It's nice to know my priorities hadn't changed since that psychic in the bar became my wife.

Grace had her leg wrapped around one of mine and she was doing everything she could to be as close as possible. Her nails dug into my shoulders and I buried my face in her hair as we pushed harder. I leaned back and pulled her up with me and coiling her legs around my waist, I held her close as I found her lips. We rolled to the side, so I was sitting up correctly on the couch and she straddled my hips. Rocking forward, she kissed me, hard, holding my face with both of her hands.

Her left hand let go of my face and crept its way down my arm. I knew what she was looking for and anticipated her movement as I unwrapped my arm from her hips. As soon as she made contact with The Mark, we gasped together, finally finding ecstasy and collapsing into a sweaty pile together.

"I'm gonna miss that," I said quietly, stroking her hair away from her face.

She glanced up at me from my chest, confused. "It's not like we're going to stop that."

I propped myself up using my arm, "No, I mean, just the two of us. She's gonna be there. In you." Shaking my head, I tried to ignore the fear I had about the entire situation. "For the next forty or so weeks, it's gonna be the weirdest threesome I've ever had."

Grace laughed. For the first time in what seemed like months, Grace let a laugh escape her lungs that started in her belly and reached all the way up to her beautiful blue eyes. I smiled, just hearing her. She lay back on my chest, thumping her fingers in tune with my heartbeat. I tried to ignore the clock above the kitchen counter from where I was, but it was as if the seconds were spilling away.

"How long do we have?" she asked, anxiety creeping into her voice.

Sighing, I answered, "About fifteen minutes."

Pulling her arm out from under me, she readjusted again and reached up to kiss my face. "Are you ready for this?"

"Are you?"

"I don't know," Grace answered, "but we're out of options. And we make some beautiful babies."

"Yeah," I said quietly. "And we're about to have four of them."

"Four," she repeated, shaking her head. "We're gonna be completely out numbered."

She kissed me again and pushed herself up, standing next to the couch, completely naked. "You want to go upstairs and rinse off with me? If I'm going to host an angel, I'd better at least clean house."

Chuckling, I took her hand and we gathered up our clothes. I tossed the pile into the mudroom and followed her upstairs.

…

"Is he knocking on the kitchen counter?" Grace asked me as I dried my hair.

"What?"

She tilted her head and listened. "Cas," she continued. "He's downstairs knocking on the kitchen counter."

"At least he remembered the rules." Rummaging through the laundry again, I dug for a pair of sweats. I wasn't exactly in the mood to wear jeans and we weren't going anywhere anyway. My wife was about to be forced into conception.

"Babe," Grace murmured. I glanced up at her and she tossed a pair of black sweats at me.

"Jeeze, it's like you're a psychic or something," I said, tugging them on over my boxers. She threw me a dazzling smile and I followed her out into the hall, still shirtless, but carrying a newly minted navy blue 'Winchester Family Auto' shirt that I was still trying to break in. I smiled to myself when I realized that Grace was wearing the black version of the same shirt.

She got to the bottom of the stairs and greeted Cas. He nodded and turned to me, "Dean, this will probably be hard for you to watch, especially if Grace has a hard time accepting Lailah into her body."

"Why might it be hard for Grace to accept her?" I asked, leaning on the kitchen counter after pulling on my shirt.

"Grace's status as a nephilim makes it difficult to anticipate how the angel half of her will take in another angel. Lailah is an older Guardian; she's been around much longer than most seraphs have been. So, having that much power in a human body that already shares it with half of an angel? There might be some fight." Castiel closed his mouth and took a breath. "That's why I'm staying."

"So what do I need to do?" Grace asked, sitting up on the barstool and pouring herself a cup of cold coffee.

"Relax your mind and give permission for Lailah to come into you." He turned slightly and gestured. "Can you hear her?"

I watched Grace close her eyes as she clutched her coffee cup. She nodded.

"Okay, wait," I said, holding up my hands. Grace opened her eyes and Cas turned to stare at me. "So she's just gonna take her and this, Lailah is just gonna, what? Bam? She's instantly knocked up?"

"Essentially." Cas tilted his head at me, "The basics are done, Dean. She would be pregnant at the end of the weekend anyway, regardless of if Lailah got involved or not. Lailah's angelic presence is simply to guarantee another hybrid that will have enough angelic power to counteract Everett's Mark."

It was hard, wrapping my melon around the entire process, but I had to just nod and trust that these fluffy-winged dickheads would take care of my wife.

"Be careful there, Dean," Grace said, smiling coyly. "Apparently, I'm officially one of them."

Shaking my head, I remembered seeing the shadow of Grace's wings spread across the inside of our living room walls. "Alright, then. Maybe I'll think of a new name for them."

"I love you," she whispered.

Smiling, I replied, "I love you, too."

"Let's do this," Grace said, standing next to me. "Come on in, Lailah." Without warning, Grace leaned in to kiss me and wrapped her arms around my shoulders. Pressing her body against mine, I could tell the instant that Grace had accepted Lailah into her body. Her entire demeanor changed. She went rigid, pulling away from me, and leaning over slightly, almost as if she was in pain.

"Grace?" I asked, holding out my hands to guide her if she collapsed. "Gracie?" Her eyes were squeezed closed and she set her jaw, just like she did when she was really pissed. I bent down, trying to meet her gaze and asked one more time. "Grace? Are you okay?"

It sounded as if a jet was taking off in the distance. There was a rumble, followed by what seemed like a vibration of the entire room, right down to the air around us. Cas stepped forward, hearing something I couldn't and I glanced at him, gauging his reaction. The look on his face told me that he was concerned with what was happening, so I stepped forward, attempting to touch my wife. It happened all at once.

There was a high-pitched sound that I was familiar with: the sound of an angel's true voice. Putting my hands over my ears, I couldn't help but step back and shut my eyes. The living room was thrown into sharp relief by the white light that spread to its every corner and Grace stood, still with her eyes closed, seemingly bracing herself for something.

Her eyes flew open and her head went back, more light pouring from her every orifice. Struggling to watch, I opened my eyes the slightest bit, just in time to see Grace stand to her full height and turn towards me, the light dimming slightly. The shadow of her wings was pressed against the wall of the living room. I was in awe; my mouth dropped open and I shook my head, disbelieving that this was the same creature that I shared my life with. I married a nephilim. She had given birth to my babies.

It was a lot to take in.

Seeing Cas glance at me, I tried asking, "Is this normal?" but my words were almost drowned out by the radiance coming from Grace.

Cas shrugged, squinting slightly. "I have no idea. It's never been done before," he shouted. "We just have to wait and see."

Seconds passed, then minutes. Finally, without warning, the light coming from Grace faded and the incredible sound stopped. Grace collapsed in a heap on the floor. Rushing over to her, Cas and I knelt next to her and I rolled her over to check her pulse. "Grace?" I asked again, feeling her face and neck. "Gracie? Can you hear me?"

Cas tilted his head and reached out for my wife. "Lailah?"

Grace's eyes opened suddenly and they flashed with a bright blue light before she spoke, "I am here. Grace has accepted me. Her own angelic grace put up quite a fight, claiming this body to be hers and hers alone."

I let out the air I was holding and sat back on my knees. "Is she okay?"

Lailah turned to smile at me. "She is fine. We are figuring out where each of us belongs while I am here." She sat up slowly; looking around as if it was the first time she had ever seen her surroundings. Lailah's movements were stiff and calculated. It was like watching a puppet of my version of Grace. It was unnerving. She seemed to hear my thought and smiled gently again, "I have never met a truer pairing of humans, Dean."

"Who? Me and Grace?"

Lailah nodded. "You complete her in a way I have never encountered."

I couldn't help a grin spreading across my face. Glancing at Cas, he smiled too. "She's right, Dean," he said in his typical gravely voice. "You and Grace are so entwined now, you're practically the same person."

Nodding, I shrugged sheepishly. "Yeah, well. Can I talk to her yet?"

"It is going to take some practice," Lailah answered, standing up. I followed suit and watched her carefully. "But yes, I think you may speak."

"Gracie?"

It was amazing to watch the transition between Lailah and Grace. Remembering my past momentarily, I could picture the same thing happen when Sammy hosted who I thought was Ezekiel, right after the trials he had to endure to seal Hell. Sam was destroyed and honestly, I thought I would lose my baby brother, but even though the sonovabitch Gadreel was the real angel behind the healing, he still managed to fix Sam from the inside out. Sam's movements were very similar when Zeke would show himself to me. At least I would be able to tell Grace from Lailah.

"Dean?" she said, her voice even changing pitch slightly. "This is annoying as hell."

I didn't have the words, so I hugged her instead, chuckling slightly at Grace's sentiment. "Seems like there's not much room left in there."

She was shaking her head. "No, there's not. She's loud and demanding, but it seems like she knows what she's doing." Looking around, Grace raised her eyebrows. "What did it look like?"

"It was bright. And loud." I licked my lips and gestured, "I'm glad the kids aren't here."

"Me too." She rubbed her face. "Apparently, I will be in control most of the time, but when she needs to, she'll come back to the surface. I already laid out some ground rules."

"Such as?"

"She's not allowed to surface in our bedroom unless it's an emergency. I'm the only one that is allowed to kiss you and/or fuck you," I chuckled again, grinning at my wife's rules, "and the second this baby is done, she's out."

"Those are good rules," I said, nodding. "But I don't know. We could have some sort of weird three-way."

She slapped my arm and turned to Cas. "I think everything's good. Is everything good?"

Castiel approached her, arm extended, intending to touch Grace's forehead to listen. "It would appear that way. Your human side will be quite taxed. After the baby is born, you will need quite a bit of repair."

"What?" I asked, turning to join the conversation. "That didn't happen with the other kids."

"Grace is already half angel. Her human body is constantly being repaired because of the stress the angelic side places on her. After this pregnancy, Grace will be exhausted because not only is her human body hosting an angel and a half, she is also creating three-quarters of one."

"I wondered about that," Grace said quietly. "What is a three-quarters angel/human hybrid called?"

Shrugging, Cas took a breath. "I don't know. It's never been done before."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Serra

I put Everett down in Levi's crib and had Sam put Levi down in his swing, then put Glory in the pack and play in the living room. Liberty colored happily on the floor while Johnny lay next to her, joyfully thumping his tail on the ground.

"Okay," I sighed, coming back into the kitchen, where Sam was making coffee and bagels. "I need a shower. Like, more than I've ever needed a shower before. Are you good with all four for the next fifteen minutes or so?"

Sammy glanced around and smiled, nodding. "I think so. Seventy-five percent of them are sleeping."

"Okay," I repeated, kissing him on the cheek. "I'll be right back. Make more coffee. I'm going to need a lot of coffee."

Starting up the steps, I could feel a rumble in the air and I hesitated on the stairwell. Listening with all my might, I had an urge to run back to Grace, but knowing that Dean and Cas were there with her was enough for me.

For now at least.

I convinced myself that she was as safe as she could be and I trudged up the remainder of the steps. From our bedroom window, I could just see the roof of the Big House and I smiled to myself at how irritated Grace would be for the next nine months or so, sharing her body with an angel that she had never met.

 _Four kids._ Shaking my head, I got undressed, leaving a trail of clothes along the path to the bathroom down the hall. I started the water and listened to the rumble again, but shook off my need to be involved. Grace could handle this…and if she couldn't, Dean and Cas could.

My shower was faster than it would have been, had I not been partially responsible for three other Winchester kids, but it was enough to wash off my hangover and take care of the smell of whatever had died in my hair. As I stepped out of the shower, I could hear the beginning of irritated crying beginning from one of the littles and I prayed that it wasn't Everett. I wrapped my hair in a towel and got dressed quickly, grabbing the pair of monkey pajama pants that Grace had gotten me when Levi was born and pulling on one of the new shirts that Dean had brought home from the shop. I looked down at myself happily. 'Winchester Family Auto' was written in an emblem on the top right hand corner of the shirt in Grace's own handwriting, complete with a sketch of the Impala's front grill and headlights. It had really turned out nicely.

Now, if they could make enough money to hold onto the shop, they'd be in good shape.

I trotted down the steps to see who was up. Sammy was in the kitchen, bouncing Glory and attempting to feed her a bottle. "Hey, it's Morning Glory!" I said, approaching my husband.

He smiled and stared down at her. "Dean and Grace's genetics are really strong."

I grinned at Glory as she lit up and flapped her hands, seeing my face. "What do you mean?" I asked as I reached for her.

"It's just crazy," Sammy began. "I mean, Dean and I are brothers, you're Grace's sister. You would think that Levi and the twins would resemble each other…or that we would see some us in Lib."

Shrugging, I turned towards the couch and stepped over Libby as I found a spot among the pillows and blankets. "Grace and I don't look anything alike."

"Sure you do. You've got the same smile, same lips and chin."

"Negligible."

He shrugged and walked towards the kitchen. "Did you hear the rumble earlier?" he asked, changing subjects.

Staring at Glory, I tried not to acknowledge the concern rolling around in my brain and refocused my energy on the baby in my arms. "Yeah, but Dean and Cas were there. They would have told us if something was going on." I looked up at Sammy. "Something bad, I mean." He nodded, not really knowing what to say to me, so he remained silent. The longer I sat there, staring at the miniature version of Grace's face, the more I couldn't stand not knowing what was happening. I sighed and shook my head as Glory ate. "I don't think I can stand it anymore." I looked up at Sammy and continued. "I need to go over there. I've gotta know what the hell is happening."

Sam chuckled. "I'm really surprised you lasted this long," he said. "You want me to take her?"

"You probably should," I said, handing Glory back to Sam. "I don't know if things are settled yet or not." I glanced back up at him as he took my place on the couch. Looking around for my fuzzy boots, I picked up my phone. "Text me if you need me."

"For sure. As long as they stay asleep, I should be okay." Turning to look at Lib coloring on the floor, he tilted his head. "She'll be okay, right?"

"Meatloaf is easy. Just keep her fed." I kissed him on the cheek. "I'll be back in a bit."

…

"Hey, it's me!" I shouted as I approached the back door of the Big House. Dean was at the kitchen counter as I walked in; he was pouring a glass of whiskey. "How did it go? Is she okay?"

Turning as if startled, Dean set his glass down on the counter and closed his eyes. "Jesus, Serra."

"Sorry. I knocked." Looking around for Grace, I asked, "Where is she?"

Gesturing to the stairs, he said, "She's okay, I think. She's in the bathroom."

"She's puking already?" I asked, my eyebrows in my hairline.

Dean chuckled. "No. I don't think it works that fast." He took a drink from his glass and shrugged. "I don't think so, at least."

Staring at his glass, I clicked my tongue. "It's only ten in the morning, you know."

Watching me with a tired, annoyed gaze, he replied, "My wife just became a vessel and she's about to get knocked up with my fourth kid." He took another drink. "I would have started sooner, but the rumble from Grace made it hard to pour."

I pulled a glass down for myself and Dean filled it. "I figured that was her. What was it like?"

He shook his head, reimagining it, I was sure. "Loud. Bright." Dean glanced at me and tried to smile. "Saw her wings again." Setting down his empty glass, the ice swirled around once and came to a stop. He poured another drink and pursed his lips. "What was all of this like when she was younger? You said you've never seen them before."

"I haven't," I answered, shaking my head. "I didn't even know she had them. When we were kids, she was pretty normal…more emotional than I was, that's for sure, but I never would have thought that it was because she was half angel. When the psychic stuff started, our dad didn't seem all that surprised, so, being as young as I was, didn't think it was out of the ordinary to have a psychic in the family."

Dean was nodding, staring at nothing as he listened.

"It wasn't until she and Dad had this big fight right after the apocalypse started…she took off after we fought a bunch of demons in a basement, during a tornado. Went off with a guy on a motorcycle, who she happened to save from being possessed."

"A motorcycle?" Dean had his eyebrows up and was staring at me from over his glass.

"Yeah, he was like fourteen years older than she was." I took a drink. "Anyway, that earthquake happened, do you remember? The nine-point-something that split the main road in Old Town in half?"

"How can I forget?"

"She had a vision before it happened. Called me and warned me. We tried to get to her before it happened, but we just weren't moving fast enough." I drained my glass and leaned on the counter towards Dean. "There were dozens of demons, all over, and one knocked a brick loose off of the building behind us and knocked me out. Emery told me later that I should have seen Grace. Apparently, she was unstoppable."

"What's your point?" he asked, standing in front of me, his arms crossed in front of his chest.

Rolling my eyes, I continued, "My point, asshat, is that Emery never said it, never admitted it out loud, but I have a feeling that Grace showed her true colors that day. Em never looked at her quite the same."

Dean tilted his head. "Em thought she was different?"

"I think Em _knew_ she was."

Footsteps behind me caught my attention. My sister walked into the room, but it wasn't my sister at all. She moved awkwardly, as if her back was stiff and held herself at attention as she moved. I stared momentarily and Dean took a deep breath, sighing as he released it. "Everything okay, Lailah?"

She nodded silently, approaching the kitchen. It was the weirdest thing I had ever seen in my life and I have seen a lot of strange shit. "Where's Grace?" I asked, stepping forward towards my sister's body.

"Hello, Serendipity. Grace is fine. We are still organizing and arranging. Grace is happier if she is free to think on her own, so she has stepped back for the time being until I have successfully made her conceive." The voice Grace's body was using was foreign to me, slightly off pitch and more authoritative than I was used to. "I will be able to give Grace full use of her body again by at least nine o'clock tonight. If not sooner."

"So we have to put up with you until then?" I asked, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

Lailah tilted her head curiously. "Grace explained to me that you would have the most difficult time dealing with an angel using her as a vessel," she said quietly. "Your sister knows you quite well. Better, it seems, than you know yourself."

"That wouldn't surprise me," I replied, draining my glass. Turning to Dean, I gestured to my sister's body. "And you're okay with this?"

"Does it look like I'm okay with this? I'm drinking whiskey straight at ten o'clock in the morning."

Lailah turned to stare at me, Grace's blue eyes penetrating my mind. "This is a means to an end. Your sister was conceived the same way."

"Yeah, I've heard the story."

More footsteps indicated that Castiel had entered the room and was doing his best to put a happy face on, attempting to distract Dean and I from the fact that someone was wearing my sister. "Hello, Serendipity," he greeted, smiling lightly. He looked from Dean to me, then over to Grace. "You are all wearing matching shirts. I enjoy them. Is there one for everyone?"

Dean and I looked down and I chuckled as he shook his head. "Yeah," he said, "I ordered about three hundred. There's a box of them in the basement if you want one, Cas."

Smiling, Castiel walked towards the basement steps and disappeared down the stairwell. Moments later, he was back, trying to take off his trench coat and pull a dark blue 'Winchester Family Auto' shirt over his dress shirt and tie. Finally succeeding, he looked up and grinned at Dean. "Now I am officially a Winchester," he said, obviously quite pleased with himself. "We should get Sam and the kids back over here and take a group photo."

Dean was laughing now, watching his best friend stand across the counter and look proudly down at the new shirt he wore. "Tell you what, Cas. You stay over at the Small House with Sammy and the kids today so Serra can babysit Grace. I've gotta go into work for a bit, just to make sure that no one kills Tony while I'm gone." He pulled on one of his boots and continued, "When I get home, we can take your group picture."

Still giggling, I turned to Dean. "Who's Tony?"

"The new kid I hired for the paint stall. Kid can't mask worth a damn and we had to repaint the Malibu yesterday. He had another shot this morning. We'll see how it goes."

I nodded, "How long are you gone?"

"Only until four. I'll bring home food and we can split shifts between the kids and Two Face, over here."

Turning to face Grace…well, Lailah, I nodded once more. "Sounds like a plan. Cas, can you tell Sammy the plan when you get over there?"

"Can I bring shirts over for Sam and the twins? Does Levi have one? Does Liberty?"

We laughed at the excitement Cas had over the auto body shirts and Dean nodded. "Lib has one already. I think it's upstairs in her dresser, but I don't think there are any small enough for the twins or Levi."

That didn't seem to curb Cas' enthusiasm. He jogged up the steps and moments later, he was back, carrying the tiny black version of the same shirt we all wore that Dean had given Lib. Castiel continued right back down the steps to the basement once more and retrieved three more shirts, the same size as Liberty's. Two blue examples and one black. "There. Now everyone will have one."

I shook my head, grinning. "Sammy doesn't have one yet."

Cas was gone again, and in a flash was back with one that would fit my husband. I laughed, slapping my hand on my thigh. "You go over there and tell him your group photo plan, too," I said, still giggling. "When Dean gets home from work, we'll be ready."

Grinning, Cas nodded and turned on his heel and walked out the door. I wiped a tear from my cheek, still laughing, and turned back to my brother-in-law. "Does he think we're in some kind of club now?"

Dean sighed, laughter still in his voice. "I don't know, but that was fucking hilarious." He wiped his face with both his hands. "Totally worth the three hundred and fifty bucks it was to print those shirts." He glanced at Lailah with a smile on his face, but realizing it wasn't Grace staring at us, his smiled faltered and he looked at the ground, seemingly for his other boot. "Alright, Lailah. I want updates, if there are any. Luck, you can stay, right?"

I nodded, glancing at Lailah again. "Yeah, I don't have to work again until Tuesday."

"Okay," he said quietly. "Text me, call me, whatever. I'll be back by four-fifteen." Sadly, he looked at Grace and said, "I love you, Gracie."

Lailah tilted her head robotically. "She says that she loves you too."

With one last look, Dean turned towards the front door and grabbed his backpack. "Updates, Serra."

"I got it." I turned back towards my sister and sighed. "Well," I started, taking a deep breath, "looks like it's just you, me, and Grace."

Lailah seemed confused. "I am unsure of why you need to stay with us. Grace is an adult. She does not need to be babysat."

Pressing my lips together, I shook my head. "No, that's not what we're talking about. You're possessing my sister. I'm supervising in case anything…weird happens."

"I assure you, I can be trusted."

"I believe you, but humans have this thing with control." I made a face as I headed for the couch. Grabbing the remote, I gestured at her. "We like to have it."

Lailah followed me into the living room and stood next to the couch I laid on. "So you're staying to control me?"

Flipping on the TV, I struggled for a way to explain our actions to the angel. "No, just to make sure Grace is okay. This is all really new for us."

Lailah seemed to finally accept this and turned to watch the screen. "I see." She paused, silent. "I assessed the relationship Grace and Dean share and I thought their bond was one that would not be outdone, but now, I'm reevaluating my ranking system."

Sitting up to turn and face her, I raised my eyebrows. "Oh really, now?"

"Yes, you and your sister are bonded in a way I do not understand. I have no siblings."

The corner of my mouth tugged into a smile. "A bigger bond than with Dean?"

Lailah thought momentarily and shrugged, looking very human, just for a second. "A different one."

"I'll take that," I said, leaning back on the cushions. I flipped through the channels quickly, searching for something to watch that would take my mind off the fact that Grace was rattling around inside her own head, having to share space with an angel she didn't even really know. "Have you done this before?" I asked, still staring at the screen.

"Help someone conceive in order to save another child?"

"No, not specifically, just to conceive in general."

Lailah nodded, "Oh yes. I am the angel of conception."

I turned slowly towards Lailah, my eyes getting wider. "The angel of conception? Wow, Cas went all out, didn't he?"

"Castiel is a long time friend of mine. We knew each other before the Wars."

"Wars?" I asked, rolling to my side to listen better.

"The Wars between Heaven and Hell," she answered simply. "The Wars that took place after Lucifer fell."

I raised my eyebrows and nodded, trying to sound like I knew what she was talking about. "Oh, I see. _Those_ Wars. Right."

"Grace is laughing, but I am sure I have missed the joke."

I grinned, knowing that Grace could hear the conversations and did my best to listen for her if she tried to communicate with me telepathically. I had no idea how all of this worked, but I knew that I wanted to be ready in case my sister needed anything.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Serra

Hours passed and I tried not to, but I ended up falling asleep on the couch watching an obscene daytime talk show. When I woke up, the living room was empty and sitting up on the couch, I listened for movement. "Grace?" I asked cautiously, standing, hearing nothing.

The kitchen was silent as well, so I padded up the steps to the second floor. Dean and Grace had begun packing their bedroom in anticipation of moving downstairs to the master suite on the bottom floor so that Liberty could take the largest upstairs bedroom. The new baby would take up residence in my oldest niece's bedroom when all was said and done. I stepped around the cardboard boxes that were stacked outside the doorway to see Grace sitting on the edge of the bed, cautiously erect, seemingly listening to something.

"Grace? No, wait. Lailah?" I asked, trying to figure out whom I was talking to.

She didn't acknowledge me, but I entered the room anyway, creeping as quietly as I could towards my sister's body. I glanced at the clock on the wall and shook my head. It was almost four o'clock already. I had been asleep over two hours.

"Lailah, you gotta give me something, here. You're freaking me out." I knelt in front of Grace and took her hands in my own. They were cold to the touch, even though it was warm in the house. "Lailah?"

"Grace is fine, Serendipity," she began, her body more still than I felt comfortable with. "I am getting closer to successful conception."

"Getting closer?" I sat back on my heels, staring at the angel that possessed Grace's body. "What do you mean closer? I didn't think this was going to be that complicated."

Lailah flicked her eyes to mine and furrowed her eyebrows in the slightest way. "Conception is difficult, Serendipity. I would think that you, being a nurse in the neonatal unit, would know that."

"No, I get it," I said, shaking my head, "but you're a fucking angel. The angel of conception, for fuck's sake. I mean, get the sperm to the egg and we're gold, right?"

Pressing her lips together, she seemed frustrated with me. "Those are the basics, yes. The problem isn't the lack of opportunity; it's making sure that only one egg, the correct egg, gets fertilized. Grace seems to be very fertile."

Sighing, I stood up and ran a hand through my hair, flipping it to the other side of my head. "Ain't that the truth?" I mumbled as I turned towards the bathroom and closed the door behind me.

A few minutes later, I found myself putting laundry away and picking toys up off of the floor in Grace and Dean's bedroom, still unwilling to leave my sister's side. The two hours I was sleeping was somehow letting Dean down, considering I had no idea how Lailah had spent that time. I eyed her occasionally and when I ran out of things to clean in the bedroom, I sat in the old upholstered chair that I remember sitting in with our mother, so many years ago. I was lost in memories, feeling the buttons and the texture of the pattern as I heard a slight gasp from Lailah.

"What?" I asked, whipping my head up to stare. "What's wrong?"

Lailah smiled calmly and shook her head. "It was close, but I am successful," she said, standing up from the bed. "Grace is pregnant."

"Close? What do you mean close?"

"The correct daughter was difficult to find, but I have done what Grace asked me to. She is pregnant with the angelic daughter that will save her Marked son."

I sighed with relief and heard Dean's Impala turn into the gravel driveway outside of the house. Glancing at the clock once more, I smiled, happy that he was home a little early. Swearing to myself, I realized that I hadn't given him one update throughout the day. He would be pissed.

Looking back down at Lailah, I tilted my head, asking, "So do I get my sister back yet, or are you going to continue to Bogart her body?"

"I would like to ensure the fetus is safe. Implantation can be difficult."

Shaking my head, I left Lailah and Grace sitting on the bed and walked down the hall towards the steps. I skipped down the stairs as Dean let himself in, throwing his keys on the side table and dumping his backpack near the dining room table. He spoke without looking up at me, "So, when I said that I wanted updates, you took that to mean to just ignore me all day."

I stared at him, searching my mind for a lie, any lie, to make him calm down a bit. Knowing I wouldn't be able to play a player, I just shrugged and shook my head. "Man, Dean, I'm sorry. I fell asleep."

"You fell asleep?" he asked, turning to face me. His voice was dangerous and I took an involuntary step backwards.

"Everything is fine," I said, holding up my hands. "I know, I let down my guard, but she was just sitting there for hours. I got bored."

"Sere, you're really lucky that I didn't even have time to text you and ask." Dean turned back towards the table and emptied the rest of his pockets onto the surface. "Well?" he asked, glancing back momentarily. "Where are we?"

"Grace is pregnant."

Dean's jaw clenched once and I watched his eyes flick upstairs and back down at me. He stepped towards the counter and reached for the bottle of whiskey on the bar, pouring it into the glass from that morning. He downed the shot and took a deep breath through clenched teeth and nodded. "Okay, that's good."

I stared at Dean, evaluating my brother-in-law. His jaw was clenched and he avoided my gaze as he reached for the whiskey bottle. Softly, I said, "It's okay not to be excited about this."

Dean closed his eyes and shook his head. "I don't know how to feel about any of it. I mean," he paused to pour another drink. "We've never had the chance to plan for kids. They just keep showing up." I nodded, pressing my lips together. There was nothing really to say, so I remained silent. He took the second shot of whiskey and shook his head, licking his lips. "What if I can't do this, Luck? What if I can't handle all of this?"

I was stepping forward before I realized what I was doing. Staring up at him, I made a face. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

His eyes flicked towards me, raising his eyebrows. "Seriously, Serra. Four? With abilities?" Dean turned away from me, shaking his head. "I'm so far up shit creek, I don't even have a boat."

Pointing at him with my index finger, my voice took a dangerous turn of its own. "If you think you're going to turn tail—"

He cut me off, "Shut up, Sere. I'm not going anywhere. I'm just panicking. It's completely different."

"Because I swear to fucking God, Winchester. I will hunt you, cut off that beautiful face of yours, and peel the skin from your bones."

Dean made a face and stepped back from me, reaching for the whiskey bottle once more. "A little excessive, but it's nice to know where your head's at."

I smiled at him ironically and turned to see Lailah walking down the stairs to join us in the kitchen. He shot me a look and lifted his eyebrows towards her, "So if she's pregnant, where's Grace?"

"She wanted to make sure 'the fetus implanted'," I said, using my fingers as air quotes. "Grace hasn't shown up yet."

Turning to Lailah, he leaned on the counter. "Everything is okay, though, right?"

"Yes, Dean," Lailah said, attempting to smile at my brother-in-law. Her voice sounded hollow as she continued. "Grace is pregnant and Everett will be saved."

"Awesome," Dean muttered, "I'm so glad we're having a band-aid baby."

Glancing at Dean again, I made a mental note to press harder into his line of thought later. If Dean was so concerned about having four kids, that still made me concerned on how big of a flight risk he was. Sam told me before we got married that Dean would rather die than leave Grace, but this…this was a desperation I had yet to see from him. He was drinking more, gone at the shop for longer periods of time, and constantly on edge. This Dean wasn't the same Dean that married my sister.

Grace's slightly off-pitch voice broke my train of thought. "Grace tells me that you two will engage in heavy conversation later," Lailah said, turning her head slightly towards me. "She also wishes to include that she can still hear you and that the opinions you have need to stay in check."

Whipping my head around to stare at Lailah, my mouth dropped open as I searched for something to say to defend myself. "Oh, come on," I started, "she has to see where I'm coming from!"

Lailah tilted her head. "She says that you should probably take a look at where he is coming from."

From his place, leaning on the counter, Dean turned to face me, his eyebrows lifting into his hairline. "Wait a minute," he began, looking from Lailah to me, "this is about me?"

My face flushed and I looked away from him, moving towards the bottle of Jameson. "No," I muttered, trying to avoid the argument that was coming.

"Bullshit, Serra. What were you thinking about?"

Rolling my eyes, I made a break for it, trying to walk towards the back door. "You've got it handled, I guess," I said, reaching for the door knob, "I'll go home and check on Sam and the kids."

"Freeze, Serendipity," Dean's voice was quiet. Closing my eyes, I turned back towards him but still evaded his gaze. "What is this about?"

The period of silence was long enough that I felt the trickling of discomfort down my spine. Shame followed next, knowing that I had overreacted and Grace called me on it. I wanted nothing more than to rewind and go back to the beginning of the day to start this process all over again and take back my doubts about Dean. My immediate reaction was to yell; to throw caution to the wind and attack Dean with all of the worry that floated through my mind, but seeing the lines etched into his face and the redness of his exhausted green eyes, I knew the guilt was already there. He knew that he was too absent, too distant, lately. He struggled with this situation maybe the most out of all of us…Dean and Dean alone knew the true terror The Mark of Cain held and how it affected Everett.

I was overwhelmed with embarrassment, knowing that I had doubted him. Shaking my head, I decided that the truth was the best route to take.

"I'm so sorry, Dean," I started, taking a step forward back into the kitchen. "I just kept thinking about how you haven't been here and how you're drinking more. You seem absent…but I know it's because you're so stressed about Everett and the shop." I shrugged. "Grace set me straight. I was stupid for thinking it."

"For thinking what?"

"That you'd leave."

Dean pursed his lips and set the glass he held on the counter. "Like I said before, Serra, I'm scared, but that's it. I've been scared my whole fucking life." He glanced at Lailah and shook his head, still hoping to see Grace staring back at him. "This little shit storm is nothing. I'm not going anywhere."

Somewhere from the living room, my phone began to ring. The moment was broken and I glanced at Lailah as well but I shook my head after seeing her stoic posture and inhuman stillness. "It's probably Sam," I said, striding into the living room to find my phone. "Hey, Sammy," I said, holding the phone up to my ear.

From the other end, it sounded like chaos, "When do you think you're coming home? I could use some help."

"Well, Dean's home, so I'm on my way back," I answered, tripping as I tried to pull on my other boot. "Everything okay?"

"The girls and Levi are fine, but Everett woke up about twenty minutes ago and has been sobbing ever since. Cas said he doesn't want to put him back to sleep, so either you need to figure out how to get him to eat or Grace needs to come and help."

Nodding, I took a deep breath, glimpsing up at my sister. "Well, Lailah is still here, so I don't know how much help Grace is gonna be. I'm coming."

"Thank you. Is Grace okay?"

I shrugged, patting Dean on the shoulder as I approached the door. "She's knocked up. We're just waiting for her to show back up, now." I hung up the phone and turned towards the rest of my family, speaking mostly to Dean. "Ev is freaking out because he's hungry and away from Grace. I'm gonna go see if I can get him to eat something. If I can't get him to calm down in about ten minutes, will you bring Two Face over to help, please?"

He shrugged, "I suppose. If I'm not gone by then."

"Hilarious," I replied, reaching for the door. "I'll text you."

Dean rolled his eyes. "It would be the first time today."

Slamming the door behind me, I shouted, "She's fine. Get over it."


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Grace

Being trapped in my own body is frustrating, to say the least. I can hear everything that is happening and the thoughts of each individual person in my life, but it's as if my voice is gone. I answer in my head, but Lailah decides what to say and when to say it.

Serra's overreaction was valid, but she needs to be kept in her place. She's like a pit bull; once she gets a hold of an idea, she doesn't let go for anything. The protective streak in her is too deep to be removed, but an occasional push and guilt trip in the right direction is usually enough to set her straight.

I heard Lailah say it, but I'm still having a hard time grasping the fact that I'm pregnant again. My own doubts swirl in my head, not about Dean or his abilities to cope, but about the possibility that this might not work. We're running with a life-changing idea that a bunch of angels came up with and I have yet to have a vision like I used to about it working. The idea that this baby might not be what fixes Everett terrifies me, not because we'll have _another_ daughter, but because we still might lose our son. It's the biggest leap of faith that I've ever taken.

I watch Dean through Lailah's movements and realize that he doesn't even want to look at me while she's wearing my body. After Serra left, he poured himself another drink, turned to lean on the counter and now sips at his whiskey as Lailah stands and observes. I want to reach for him, but my hand stays by my side. Inwardly, I sigh and beg Lailah for my body back.

" _Please, you have to understand how hard this is for him. Possession is still possession. He hates the idea that you're riding around in my skin."_

Lailah disagreed with me immediately. " _You know that she is not ready yet. The fetus needs to complete implantation before I can give you full control back."_

If I had been able to roll my eyes, I would have. " _Well, then will you just tell him a general time frame? Look at him. He's miserable."_

Standing and watching my husband with her head tilted, Lailah considers Dean momentarily. " _What should I say? Human interaction is so foreign to me. I do not understand how you can be angelic and human simultaneously."_

I paused, trying to see the whole situation from Lailah's perspective. She volunteered to ride around with me for forty weeks to help develop a creature that technically, isn't permitted to exist. Once again, I was grateful for our heavenly connection and Chuck's blessing. Finally, I told her the only thing I could think of. " _Just tell him that he'll see me again tonight and that I'm okay."_

Lailah took a deep breath, attempting to step towards Dean. Slowly, I think, I was regaining my ability to control my own body. She paused, waiting for me to release my hold and continued towards my husband. "Dean?"

He looked up with sad eyes and downed the rest of his drink. "Yeah, Lailah?"

"Grace says that she will see you later tonight and that she is okay."

Making a face, he nodded, his eyes closing momentarily. "Thanks, Lailah." Thinking that she was done, he capped the bottle of Jameson and slid it to the middle of the counter and put his glass in the sink. Heading to the back door, he reached for the knob, but Lailah's voice stopped him in his tracks.

"I understand why you won't look at me," she said quietly. "Grace has been thinking about it and I feel that I am beginning to understand."

Dean looked up, hesitating momentarily. "And why is that?"

"You have dealt with demonic possession for much of your life. Seeing someone become someone else because another is using them…it must be difficult to see your wife's face on another soul." Lailah took another step forward. She pulled my wedding band off my finger and I watched as she handed it to Dean, setting it carefully in his palm as he opened his hand.

He stared at the diamond band in his hand and for the first time, looked into my eyes as he spoke. "You hit the nail on the head," he murmured as his fingers wrapped around my wedding band. "Why did you take this off of her?"

She tilted her head, childlike. "I am not the one wed to you. When Grace takes control once more, you can put it back on her."

Dean nodded the tiniest bit and glanced back down at his hand. "Deal," he whispered, pulling his beaded chain from around his neck and adding my ring to his necklace of protective charms. He turned back towards the door. "I'm gonna go check on the kids. I'll call you on Grace's phone if we need help."

"You will not need to," Lailah replied. "I will be listening."

Having nothing else to say, Dean pulled his necklace back over his head and shut the door behind him. I was left alone with Lailah once more. It was lonelier than I expected.

…

As Lailah tuned in to the voices from across the field, I concentrated on listening for Everett among them. He didn't disappoint. It was obvious that he was worked up and the anger and fear that radiated from my son was palpable.

" _He's not going to melt down, is he?"_

Lailah seemed confused. " _I do not understand."_

 _"_ _The tantrum he had earlier. It was like a small explosion."_

Shaking her head slowly, Lailah sent me calming thoughts. " _Liberty is learning how to use her abilities more fluently around her sibling. She is sending him calming thoughts while Glory comforts him."_

 _"_ _The girls can do that?"_

Lailah nodded slightly. " _Your daughters are very talented creatures. I have heard rumors of their Destiny."_

 _"_ _And what is that?"_ I asked, cynical. I had heard this before when Cas and I went to get Sam from Heaven after our fight in The Pit. I had a hard time believing that my kids could be a part of anything so big.

" _You forget that you are wed to Michael's True Vessel and that you, yourself, are shockingly unique. Michael's Vessel also carries The Mark of Cain and when paired together, you bore true Daughters of Heaven and Earth."_ Lailah considered me momentarily before she continued. " _Your families united will attempt to bring the balance between Heaven, Earth, and Hell."_

I was hesitant to believe Lailah, but considering what the Winchesters and the Brownings had been through in the past, it suddenly didn't seem so hard to believe that our offspring would be meant for a purpose as well. I missed being just a psychic.

Remaining silent, I continued to listen to the voices from my family. Everett had resisted Dean at first, curling back into Sam's chest, but upon seeing Glory go to Dean so willingly, he got jealous (as he so often did) and demanded attention from his father as well. Dean sat at the table with him and Sam walked over to Glory to put her in the high chair next to him. Dean held Everett against his chest and the look on my husband's face was that of relief, finally being able to comfort our son. Liberty stood next to the boys, holding her hand to Everett's face. Our nephew Levi joined the group as well, crawling quickly towards his uncle, and standing clumsily next to Dean. It was almost as if I was watching the setup from my place in our kitchen, across the field. It was a little unnerving.

" _Your abilities will be exaggerated as long as I am here,"_ Lailah explained, speaking softly. " _You have the ability to see them because Castiel is watching. We can use each other to observe."_

It was my turn to be confused. " _Use each other? The other angels?"_

 _"_ _Yes. It's another facet of 'Angel Radio', as you call it."_

I nodded inwardly and did what I could to remain calm and accepting of Lailah's control over my body. I took a deep breath and settled in until I had my chance to walk and talk on my own again.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Sam

Every time I held Everett against my chest to attempt to comfort him, I could see the difference immediately between my son and Dean's. Everett was constantly feverish and always a little worked up; a lot how Dean used to be when The Mark was a problem. I could see my brother walking across the field, heading towards our house and knew that there was a possibility that Rhett wouldn't calm down once he got here. Dean had said it once before: Everett was addicted to Grace in much the same way Dean was early on in their relationship.

As he came up the steps of the back door, Dean didn't bother knocking and let himself into the house. Cas didn't move, still frozen in place in the living room, watching the kids interact. Serra glanced up from holding Levi and watched him sit at the table; Glory immediately taking off at the fastest pace her crawling would allow her to go to greet her father. He smiled, greeting his middle child and picked her up to nuzzle her face. Liberty followed suit, walking towards him and holding out her palms to share a thought or two silently. He smiled at both of them, not even acknowledging Everett.

I knew it was done purposefully, but it still stung a bit to watch Dean with his daughters, but not even look up at his son. We learned early on that if Dean attempted to greet or acknowledge Everett before he was ready; the tantrum the baby threw afterwards was enough to rattle windows. Knowing that Dean wasn't even permitted to pick Everett up from my arms without his permission was enough to make the familiar ache reappear in my chest. I hurt for Dean.

Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Everett observe his sisters with their father. He had quieted for long enough that I knew he was watching with a hint of jealousy. I turned slightly and looked down at my nephew. "Is that Daddy over there?" I asked. "You wanna go see?"

Everett was silent, completely ignoring my question. He stared, his blue eyes so focused on Dean and the girls that it was a little unnerving. Finally, Dean looked up from Glory and raised his eyebrows at Everett. "We're getting old over here, waiting on you," he said to Rhett, smiling slightly. "You wanna give me a try? I'm wearing long sleeves."

Dean's voice was too much to resist for Everett and he immediately wanted down. I bent, letting him crawl on all fours towards his father and stand to greet him. Gently, almost fearing the touch, Dean bent down to lift Everett from the floor. We all held our breath, waiting for the inevitable.

Liberty leaned against Dean's leg and watched her brother carefully. She lifted her hand to his face and he closed his eyes at her touch. I watched in awe, as Lib seemed to calm him down simply by holding contact. Everett's entire body relaxed and he almost, _almost,_ smiled. I walked towards Glory slowly, so as not to break Lib's concentration or the spell she seemed to have over Everett and picked up the other twin, putting her carefully in the high chair.

From his position across the room, Levi seemed to demand what all the fuss was about and wanted down from Serra's grip. She put him on the floor and he did his best to crawl towards Dean, tripping once or twice on his roly-poly arms and legs. Dean reached down to help Levi lean against him and glanced up at me, smiling lightly. "First time for everything, huh?" he asked quietly. "What do you think Lib is doing?"

I shrugged. "I have no idea," I said, shaking my head. "She can push thoughts into your head, right? Maybe she's doing the same thing to him?"

"What could she push into his brain that would calm him like that?" he asked, still watching his son. "Like Cas do you think? Is that what Cas does to him?"

I was still shaking my head, completely at a loss. I glanced over at Serra, who was watching the wheat blow in the chilly breeze and I knew that her mind was consumed with the safety and well being of her sister. Walking over to her slowly, I reached out to touch her shoulder and said, "She'll be okay, Serra. Grace knows what she's doing."

"No, she doesn't," she replied, still staring out the window. "Grace thinks that she's some great planner and that she can anticipate the problems that we might run into, but she's terrible at it." Finally, Serra turned to me and pressed her lips together into a fine line. "We've always done things as a team. This is the first time that I'm not directly involved in something that involves her fate."

"Has she told you that she's scared?"

"No, but I can hear her. Lailah might be the one talking, but I know that Grace is reeling."

Nodding, but having nothing to say, I turned back to Dean with all four kids. I couldn't help smiling, seeing the boys fight for his attention and Glory shoving tiny chunks of apple into her mouth while watching Liberty and Everett interact.

Serra took a breath and shook herself out of the silence that had settled around us. "Dean's doing well with four."

"Temporarily," I said, grinning. "No one is crying."

"We should have been timing this," she whispered, smiling back at me.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Lailah

I have heard of the Winchesters many times throughout my occupation in Heaven and am always fascinated at their unvarying dedication to one another. Now, watching the men interact with the children gives me the courage to face our new challenges head on. I know their strengths and weaknesses now, better than anyone, simply by being in the same room as they are. The offspring of Michael's Vessel and The Nephilim will reach maturity along with the others bore from The Watcher and Lucifer's Vessel…it will be challenging to learn what I need to in order to continue my path.

The Nephilim and I are beginning to get along in a way that we are both controlling her Earthly body. Once I am more comfortable that I have completed the temporary assignment that Castiel has given me, I will be more than happy to relinquish control to The Nephilim.

" _My name is Grace,"_ I heard her think. " _Will you please start calling me Grace?"_

 _"_ _I apologize, Grace,"_ outwardly rolling my eyes in a very human gesture.

 _"_ _And 'Michael's Vessel'? His name is Dean. Call him Dean,"_ she continued, irritated. " _Never, ever, call Sam 'Lucifer's Vessel' again. Serra will stab you…well, me, in the face if she hears that."_

 _"_ _She seems more violent than she needs to be,"_ I answered, not understanding Grace's sibling. She was abrupt and brash, but Watchers tend to be overly protective and I forgave her for it immediately.

 _"_ _You keep calling Serra a 'Watcher',"_ Grace began. _"What is a Watcher?"_

 _"_ _They are protectors of Heaven. You sister is a Watcher,"_ I answered. I was confused that Grace didn't already know something like this. _"That is why she's your sister. She protects you."_

 _"_ _Usually, it's the other way around,"_ Grace said sarcastically.

 _"_ _That might be the case, but Serendipity's purpose is to protect her family. Watchers on Earth are Warriors of Heaven."_ Grace laughed, obviously amused by something I said. _"What is funny?"_ I asked her, tilting my head.

 _"_ _Nothing,"_ Grace answered, still chuckling to herself. _"Serra will love to hear that she's a 'Warrior of Heaven'. She'll probably insist that we call her that."_

 _"_ _I still do not understand."_

Grace sighed. _"You don't need to."_

As time slipped by, I was more and more confident that the daughter that Grace was now carrying would be healthy and successfully implanted, which was all a means to an end. By the time evening fell around the Winchester family, I felt more prepared to surrender control to Grace, but in the back of my mind, I felt as if there was something calling out to us; something that I had heard once before, but could not place now.

 _"_ _What is that?"_ Grace asked as we stared out into the darkness of the field between the houses.

I was surprised. _"You can hear it as well?"_

 _"_ _Yeah, like a siren call. It's like I want to follow it."_

Nodding, I agreed silently with Grace. I had no idea what it was that seemed to call out for the angels to hear, but it was unsettling that we would follow so blindly. I made a mental note to discuss it further with the other angels when we were once again in the same room.

…

Later that evening, Dean came into the kitchen carrying both Glory and Everett as Liberty held the door for him. I watched the interactions carefully and felt like I needed to offer my assistance. "Would you like me to take one of them?" I asked, moving slowly towards him.

He glanced up at me and narrowed his eyes, doing his best to trust me while I still controlled Grace's movements. "Yeah," he said, turning Everett towards me. "Take him so I can put Glory down, will you?"

Gently as I was able, I reached for the sleeping infant. He turned towards my touch almost immediately, even though his eyes were still closed, as if he recognized me. It felt awkward; holding a creature so small, but Dean seemed content that I had a hold of him and disappeared upstairs to put the other twin in her bed.

 _"_ _He doesn't know you're not me,"_ I could hear Grace through my mind. _"Or maybe he does, I really don't know. Everett seems to have abilities, but more he's more destructive than anything."_

I nodded, not wanting to wake the infant. He was truly a beautiful creature and I could suddenly understand why mothers across the world would lay down their lives if it meant saving their children. I felt bonded to this child in a way that I did not understand. _"What is this feeling?"_

 _"_ _Love,"_ Grace's voice came simply. _"You're feeling what I feel every time I look at my kids. It's a human emotion that until I met Cas, didn't think angels could experience."_

 _"_ _Why am I experiencing something like this? I am not bonded to your offspring. They are not my own. We only met today,"_ I replied, concern flooding through my mind.

Grace chuckled, saying, _"You've taken up residence in a nephilim. You're gonna feel all kinds of new things."_

Shaking my head, still staring at Everett, I took an involuntary breath. _"I feel inadequately prepared."_

 _"_ _Welcome to motherhood."_


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Dean

Things were calming down for the night and it was hard to believe that the day started with Everett melting down hard enough to leave a fucking scorch mark on our hardwood floor. Setting Glory down in her crib, I leaned on the rail, just watching her. She was content, as she was so often, and I wished I could spend more time with my middle daughter, but, well. Shit happens.

Padding out of the room, I closed the door behind me, clicking it silently into place. I took a deep breath and headed back downstairs to deal with Lailah, Everett, and Liberty.

"Daddy, Wett still sweeping," Lib greeted me as I came down the steps. "Waywah holding Wett."

I glanced up at Lailah, still holding a sleeping Everett, just at Libby described. "Yeah, Meatloaf," I said, my eyebrows up at them. "What did you call Momma?"

"Not Momma. Waywah."

Liberty continued to blow my mind on a regular basis. None of us had told the kids that Lailah would be setting up shop in Grace's body, but here it was: proof that my oldest kid had psychic abilities, too. "Yeah, Lailah is gonna be here for a bit."

"Momma still here, too," Lib said quietly, reaching out to touch Everett's feet.

I nodded again. "Yeah, Momma's still here." Tilting my head and staring at my oldest, I knelt down and took her hands. "Can you hear Momma?"

Liberty stared at me with her big green eyes and grinned, nodding slightly.

"What can you hear, baby?"

"Wuv Wibby," she replied quietly. "Wuv Wett. Wuv Daddy."

From my place on the floor, I smiled sadly. Turning to stare up at Grace's face, Lailah still stared back at me as she held my son awkwardly. "She'll be back soon, Meatloaf. Promise."

Taking Everett out of Lailah's arms, I brushed Grace's accidentally and felt the familiar electricity shoot down into my fingertips. Glancing down into her eyes, they flashed blue, predictably, as she experienced the same charge. Lailah blinked back at me and tilted her head. "What did she just sense?"

"The Mark," I said, breaking my gaze from her. "It's what happens when Grace touches The Mark."

Lailah nodded as she watched me sit with Everett in the chair near Liberty as she colored. "I believe that I am ready to give Grace the use of her body once again."

Sighing, I closed my eyes and relief spread through me. "That's awesome. Everything's good?"

"Yes, everything is 'good'," she replied, using her fingers as air quotes. "I will reside mostly in her subconscious now, keeping her human body as healthy as I can for your Daughter of Heaven."

I didn't have the words, so I nodded. Lailah closed her eyes and Grace lit up from the inside; light shined from her face and from behind her eyelids. I shut mine, not really wanting to watch the transition. As the light dimmed, I turned to face her again and Grace smiled back at me.

"Hey stranger," she whispered.

Standing, I set Everett in the playpen near Liberty and walked to where my wife was standing. I wrapped her in a hug and murmured in her ear, "Glad you're back, gorgeous."

From around our thighs, Lib wrapped her arms around our legs, grinning. "Momma back," she said, looking up at the both of us.

Nodding, Grace bent down and hugged Liberty, "Yeah, I am. Miss me?"

Shaking her head slightly, Lib tilted her head, confused. "Hear Momma, not gone."

Grace craned her neck to stare back at me. "You could hear me, kiddo?"

Liberty nodded again and smiled and ran back to her coloring book.

Standing up to her full height, Grace shook her head. "That kid. Man, we're in over our heads, aren't we?"

"Probably," I replied, rubbing my face. I felt like I had been through the ringer. Now that I was relaxing, I realized how tense I had been while Lailah had been in control of Grace's body. "How do you feel? Is it weird with her in there?"

"It's like having a roommate…a really confused, bossy, child-like roommate." Grace giggled and rubbed her face. Shrugging, she continued, "Honestly, I hear so many voices all the time that one more doesn't really make a difference." Grace seemed to be distracted, glancing behind her every once and a while, and hearing my thought, she shook her head, dismissing it. "I don't know what's distracting me. It's like a low hum, but I'm drawn to it. That whole moth/flame thing."

"That's weird, right?"

"What isn't weird about this whole situation?" Grace turned around, heading for the fridge. She opened the door and pulled out a bottle of beer and twisted off the cap and with her arm raised to take a drink, she rolled her eyes, and walked back over to me, shoving it at me. "Take this. I keep forgetting I'm pregnant again."

Taking the beer from her, I chuckled and took a drink, relaxing more. It was nice to have my wife back.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Sam

Five weeks had passed since Grace took Lailah. Grace was in full-blown morning-sickness mode, trying her best to care for four other kids. As I was still lying in bed one morning, my phone began to vibrate next to me.

Turning, knowing I wouldn't wake Serra, I answered quietly. "Hey, Dean, what's up?"

"Dude, is there a way you or Serra could stay home to help Grace today?" He was chewing on something as he spoke, with a baby crying in the background. "I would, but the friggin' inspector is coming today for the annual. I gotta be there."

Looking back at Serra, still sleeping next to Levi, I shook my head; "My classes have mid-terms this week. I can't cancel classes. Serra's still sleeping and it'll probably take me twenty minutes to get an answer out of her. I'll call you back."

"Alright. She's miserable, man," Dean continued, "Get Sere to stay home, will you? I'll buy her a case."

"Of Jameson?"

"Of beer. What, you think I'm made of money?" I knew Dean rolled his eyes as he picked up his coffee mug. "Wake Sleeping Beauty. Call me back."

I hung up the phone and set it next to me. Levi was stirring, struggling to open his eyes and play with his toes. We had been lucky with Levi; normally he was as deep of a sleeper as Serra was and had been sleeping through the night for the last three months or so, but last night he woke up hungry and cranky around three. Also, I mused, a lot like his mother. "Serra," I whispered, touching her shoulder softly. "Wake up. Grace needs some help today."

"What?" she muttered, from her position with her face shoved into the pillow. She struggled to get her hair away from her face and finally, I could see one of her hazel eyes peek from under her tangled hair.

"Your sister is sick. She needs help with the kids. Can you stay home today?" I spoke calmly and slowly, knowing that if I sounded frustrated with her, she would just be pissed and no one would win.

"Sick how? Sick, morning sickness, or sick, flu sickness?"

I raised my eyebrows at her. "What do you think?"

Serra sighed heavily as she sat up in bed, pulling the rest of her long hair behind her shoulders and glancing down at Levi. He cooed at her, happy to see her face and she bent to kiss his nose. "Yeah, I figured this was coming. I've got about a week's worth of vacation to use, so maybe I'll have a stay-cation with my sister."

"I'll call Dean back."

Serra sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed her face as Levi played with the ends of her hair and Johnny's head lay in her lap, tail thumping behind him. "I guess I'll go shower. Holy hell, it's early."

I wasn't listening to her. The other end of the phone was ringing and I pulled Levi closer to me to pick him up. Dean's voice finally came on the other end. "We good?" he asked, still chewing.

"Yeah, Serra will be over in a bit. I think she's gonna take some time off at work to help."

Dean sighed, seemingly relieved. "Thanks, man. I owe you guys."

"Grace watches Levi all the time. We really owe you."

Chuckling, Dean hung up and I set my phone down, walking Levi downstairs to get him a bottle. "Are you better now? Or are you going to be cranky all day? Is your cousin wearing off on you?" Levi watched me as I talked to him, his round, dark green eyes following my every word. His hair was in his face again and I sighed, brushing the bangs out of his eyes. "If I let this go much longer, Momma's just gonna buzz your head." Levi smiled at the word 'Momma' and I grinned back. "Yeah, she's gonna buzz it and you're gonna end up looking like Uncle Dean."

Levi giggled again, loving the interaction he was getting. I shook his bottle and sat down with him to feed him on the couch. I glanced at the clock and shook my head. There was only about forty-five minutes before I had to leave for my first class.

Minutes later, Serra came stumbling down the steps, still trying to get to coherent. Johnny walked slowly behind her and wagged his tail with every step he took. She stood in front of me, holding out her arms and I stood to hand over Levi, who was babbling away, happy to see her.

"Hey, Pudge," she greeted; pulling her hair back behind her shoulders so he wouldn't wrap his fist around it. "Let's go see the gang." Serra looked down at me and asked, "Did he make coffee yet? There needs to be coffee over there."

"I'm sure there's coffee."

"Okay," Serra muttered, "I'm going. See you tonight?"

"Yeah," I agreed, bending to kiss her and Levi. "I've got midterms this week and I have office hours until five."

Nodding, she waved at me as she walked towards the door. I heard it slam behind her and jogged upstairs to get ready for work.

I loved my job as a college professor. It had taken me three years to finish my BA from Stanford and my Master's in Religious Anthropology. I was still in shock that most of my units from Stanford had been available for transfer and I did well in all of my placement exams. Right after I graduated, my World Religions professor offered me a junior professorship at the college and now, simply by luck of the draw (and the senior professors' constant illnesses), here I was a year later, running my own classes. I was stunned and grateful. It was where I enjoyed being.

When I left Stanford behind, I thought I would never see the inside of a classroom again, but Dean surprised me by settling in with Grace and giving school his blessing. We hadn't hunted regularly in over four years. Of course, things would pop up, more often than not here of late, but overall, we had a pretty steady life. When the girls were kidnapped and taken to Hell, I was convinced that it would be the end of our happy life, here on Winchester Ranch. Somehow, we made it through, they survived and pulled me home, and over and over, and I had to remind myself to breathe because I was so happy.

I closed up the house, ready to leave, and grabbed my bag. Johnny barked at me once as I gave him a treat and he took off across the field to join Serra and Levi at The Big House.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Serra

Sweet Jesus, it was early. How Grace and Dean got up this early every day, I would never know. Sam was the early riser in our house, always up before me to take care of Levi in the morning. I usually didn't start my shifts at the hospital until ten or so, letting me sleep until at least eight-thirty.

"Hey, Grace?" I knocked on the back door, still holding Levi against my hip as he gurgled at his reflection in the window. "Dean! It's me!"

"It's open, Luck!" I heard Dean's voice echo through the house.

Turning the knob, I pushed the door with my other hip and set a squirmy and excited Levi down on the floor. He tore off after Dean, doing his best to crawl across the hardwood floor in his footed pajamas.

"Hey, Pudge!" Dean greeted, bending down to pick him up. "I'm glad to see you too." He glanced up at me and grinned. "This kid is all smiles today."

"He wasn't around three this morning," I replied, pouring myself a cup of coffee. "Up and cranky, but he seems better now." I took a sip and turned back to my brother-in-law. "How's Grace?"

He shook his head and I watched his eyes flick upstairs. "I dunno," he answered quietly. "She wasn't this bad with Lib and she wasn't here for this stage with the twins…" He faded away, refusing to look at me. "Was she this sick in The Pit?"

I thought back on our time in Hell and shook my head. "We were separated," I said quietly. "They would take us at different times." Forcing myself to stare up at Dean, I fought the emotions that were welling up in my throat like bile. Grace and I never talked about our time in Hell if we could help it and I realized that I had no idea what happened to Grace while we were down there when I wasn't with her. "I don't know, Dean. I know she didn't eat a lot, but we were concentrating on surviving."

Nodding, Dean turned around, bouncing Levi as he looked around for something. "Yeah, I know, Luck. That's why I haven't brought it up. Grace doesn't need anything else to worry about."

"Where are the kids?"

He was lifting papers and baby toys off the counter, still looking around while he held my boy. "Upstairs, bugging Grace. Everett just crawls around her and Glory and Lib are in the master upstairs, making themselves at home." Dean turned towards the dining room table and kept searching around.

"The hell are you looking for?" I asked, tilting my head.

"My damn keys. I gotta get to the shop."

I turned to look at the key hook near the front door and pointed. "They're over there, Dean. You gotta relax. Grace is gonna be fine." He glanced towards the hook and shook his head. "Go say goodbye to your wife and kids. I'll stay here today and tomorrow while you're at the shop and we'll see how she is on Monday."

Dean nodded and set Levi down. Heading for the steps, he hesitated. "Jody is wise to our little plan. Call her if you need her."

He was back in minutes, jogging down the steps two at a time and grabbed his keys and his backpack. "Inspector should be gone by two. I should be back by four, if I don't have a heart attack by then."

I waved as he shut the door behind him. Staring up the steps, dreading the smell of vomit, I forced myself upstairs to help my sister.

"Grace?" I asked, opening the baby gate and stepping through with Levi. I closed and locked it behind me as I padded down the hall. Libby came out of the master bedroom, pigtails bouncing. "Hey, Meatloaf, where's Momma?"

"Bafroom. She feels icky," she said, petting the top of Glory's head like a dog.

"Where's Everett?" I asked, glancing around as Levi crawled to Glory, his favorite playmate, and greeted her with a head butt.

Libby sighed and shook her head. "Bafroom," she said again. "He sits on Momma."

I made a face and nodded. "Stay up here," I said, pulling on a pigtail as I walked by. "Keep an eye on your sister and Levi, will you?"

I approached the bathroom in between the kids' rooms and sure enough, Grace was on the floor, leaning on the toilet with Everett in her lap, doing his best to be as close to her as he could. "Dude, you need to give Mom a break," I said, bending to scoop him from the floor. Turning to Grace and putting my hand on my hip, I asked, "On a scale of one to ten, how much does it suck to be you right now?"

"About a nineteen," she breathed, closing her eyes.

I pulled the kids' stool over towards the toilet and sat down next to her. "Was it this bad with the twins?"

She shook her head. "No," Grace replied, shaking her head slowly. She gagged again. "When we were there, the twins were repairing me, remember?" I noticed that she left out the details of where exactly we were, but let it slide. "Now," she continued, "I think the human half is having a harder time taking the angel half and the fact that I've got a freeloader and a hitchhiker that are both more angel than me."

Grace's logic made sense, but it didn't make me feel any better about how awful she looked. Her eyes were red, her face was flushed and sweaty, her hair was a shambles and she looked drawn, frail. "When's the last time you kept anything down?"

"About two days ago."

"Come on," I said, putting Everett down and helping her up. "You done puking for now?"

"We'll see."

"Let's get some ice cream and some water in you. You'll feel better."

Rolling her eyes, she shook her head. "It's gonna make me puke again."

"You wouldn't dare waste it."

I got a grin from my sister and stepped over Rhett as I led her out onto the landing. I pushed her into the master bedroom, still full of boxes and the king-sized bed. I turned on the TV and helped her lay down. "You lay there and I'm gonna go get some snacks together. We'll have a TV day in bed and you'll get your shit together, because I only have a week of vacation right now."

Grace rolled her eyes and did her best to get comfortable as the kids began to trickle into the room, bringing toys and stuffed animals. They knew we would be settling in for the day.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Sam

Midterms are always a bit nerve-wracking for me because I'm always worried that my students will figure out that I'm not supposed to be their teacher and I should really be out there, hunting monsters, not educating my own students.

Someone will figure it out eventually, I'm sure.

I watch my students file out of my classroom and stack their answer sheets on my desk as they leave. One lingered, standing at the top of the steps in the back of the auditorium. "Mr. Winchester?"

I glanced up, staring at the kid in the back. It was still weird being called 'mister'. It sounded like someone was calling my father. Or Dean.

"Hi," I answered, "It's okay, you can call me Sam." He approached slowly; almost nervous. "Nicholson, right? Bryan? What's up?"

He nodded and smiled at my recognition of his name. "There's something that I wanted to show you," he said, pulling his backpack off his back and around to set it on my desk. "A couple of guys and me went fishing the other day and found this."

Bryan unzipped his backpack and took out what looked to be a large metallic stone. It was about the size of a cantaloupe and there were cubic columns formed throughout the rock. I couldn't immediately see what was special about it…to me; it just looked like a large stone. Bryan handed it to me and it was remarkably light, considering its size. I turned it over, inspecting it, but saw nothing immediately that would tell me why Bryan had decided to bring it to me.

"That's awesome and weird, but I'm not sure why you brought it to me." I handed the stone back to Bryan and shrugged.

"I brought it to you because of this," he said, turning the stone over in his hand. He pointed to a series of engravings on the bottom that I hadn't seen the first time I inspected it.

Taking the stone back from him, I stared at the engraving and traced my thumb over it. The lettering wasn't something I was able to read, but I immediately recognized the language. I flicked my eyes back to Bryan and lifted my eyebrows. "Where did you find this?" I grabbed a local map out of my desk drawer and laid it out on my desk, unwilling to put the stone on the surface of the table. "Can you show me on the map?"

Bryan made a face, shaking his head. "I don't know, man, my brother will kill me." He made an apologetic face and shrugged, "That fishing hole has been a secret for decades."

"I don't care about the fishing hole," I found myself saying, trying my hardest not to sound desperate. "I just want to know its origin. That way, hopefully I can learn more about it."

Bryan shrugged. "You can't go fishing there, man. My brother will shoot you." He lifted his finger and pointed to a river about an hour outside of Lawrence. I stared at the map, memorizing the location that Bryan's finger hovered above.

Slowly, I shook my head. "I won't fish there. I promise."

"So it means something?" Bryan asked, smiling up at me.

I controlled my reaction as much as I could, "Yeah, it might. I'd like to go out there to see if there's more pieces."

"Like a puzzle?"

I pressed my lips together and glanced at Bryan. He wasn't the brightest of my students, so I struggled to contain my sarcasm. "Yes, Bryan, like a puzzle." I held his gaze and raised my eyebrows again. "Can I borrow this? Take some pictures and do some research?"

Shrugging, Bryan zipped up his backpack and threw it back over his shoulder. "Sure, Mr. Winchester. I don't need a rock." He headed towards the door and said, "See you Monday."

"Thanks, man," I said, glancing back down at the stone. I waited until the door of my classroom clicked into place and strode to the bookcase in the front of the room and fingered through the dusty volumes until I came across the one I was looking for. I brought the book down off the shelf and slammed it onto my desk, flipping through the pages until I came to the one I was looking for. There they were; more of the same lettering that was engraved on the bottom of the rock.

Enochian, the language of Heaven.

I knew I was too wound up to attempt a translation, and besides, Enochian was difficult to translate…much of it was subjective. I wondered momentarily if Grace would be able to translate it without Cas' help.

Shoving the rock into my bag, I decided to take the book with me as well. Knowing that they both wouldn't fit into my bag, I opted to carry the translation and flipping off the lights in my classroom, I strode down the hall of the university towards my office. A couple more hours of meeting with students and I would be able to go home and research my newest piece of Heaven.

…

Grace sat up in bed and glanced around suddenly, catching Serra off guard. She paused, still in a sitting position and cocked her head towards the window, listening.

"Don't throw up in here," Serra said quietly, watching her sister.

Ignoring her, Grace continued to stare off into nothing and listen, still with her head tilted towards the window. The kids were scattered around the room in varying degrees of unconsciousness. Libby struggled to hold on, still watching _Cinderella_ with heavy-lidded eyes, but the twins and Levi snored lightly from their positions on the floor in their nests of blankets and pillows.

"Grace?" Serra asked, sitting up and touching her back lightly. "What's happening?"

She held up a finger as she turned on the bed, "I can hear it again."

"Hear what?" Serra breathed through her mouth, trying her best to move slowly enough not to disturb her sister. It was unnerving when Grace moved like the rest of the angels, robotic and stiff, and it was usually a good indicator of something coming. Finally reaching the edge of the bed, Serra opened the drawer to Dean's nightstand, looking for the nine millimeter that he usually kept there. It was towards the back and without looking at the weapon, she made sure it was loaded and clicked the safety off as she rejoined her sister on the bed. "Grace? Should I be moving the kids?"

She moved her head the slightest bit, indicating that they were, for the moment, safe where they sat, but Serra was hesitant to let down her guard. "Gracie, you gotta give me something here," Serra whispered. "What do you hear?"

"I don't know," she replied, whispering as well. "It's the same thing I heard before, right after I took Lailah…" she shook her head. "It's like a siren call. My impulse is to go running out of this room to go find it."

"You want to chase it? Isn't that weird?"

Without looking at her, Grace raised her eyebrows and nodded. "What isn't weird about me?"

Serra stared at her sister then glanced around the room. "Hey, Cas?" she began. "Got a question or two."

With a flutter of his wings, Castiel appeared in the middle of the hallway and walked into the bedroom where Grace, Serra, and the kids were piled up. "I do as well," he said, his voice low and gravelly. "Are you as attracted to it as I?"

Grace nodded, still listening. Libby did her best to greet Cas, but ended up just waving vaguely to the room. Castiel stood near Grace and they both faced the same direction as they moved in tandem to listen. Smiling to herself, Serra had an urge to take a picture of Cas and Grace, sitting together, their heads tilted in the same direction. Taking her phone out of her pocket, she snapped a picture as their heads swiveled together once again.

…

After my office hours, I headed back towards my El Camino sitting in the parking lot. It was still early enough that there was just enough light in the sky and I glanced around, the hair on the back of my neck standing on end. I felt like I was being watched.

Dean still carried most of the time, his forty-five usually in the glove box of the Impala or in the back of his pants, but I hadn't made an effort to have a gun on me in over a year, not since Serra and Grace had been taken to Hell. I felt vulnerable for the first time and I stared out into the parking lot, struggling to see beyond what my eyes could observe. There was nothing, but the air seemed to be electrified. It put me on edge and I took a deep breath, throwing myself into my car and starting it up, burning rubber as I drove out onto the highway.

I could still feel eyes on me as I headed home and I considered once about not wanting to bring whatever was watching me home to my family, so I pulled off the road momentarily and took out my phone, dialing Serra's number.

"I hope you're calling because you're on your way home," Serra's voice came over the speaker.

Her voice sounded strained, mildly concerned, and it made my anxiety rise. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing yet," she replied, speaking quietly. "Cas is here, being weird with Grace."

"Weird?"

Serra hesitated, taking a breath before she continued. "I don't know, they've both been staring off into space for the last three hours or so, just listening."

I glanced around, still feeling eyes on me, "Listening? Listening to what?"

"I don't know yet," she answered, obviously standing from the bed and walking out into the hallway so she could speak freely. "It's starting to freak me out. Grace is never this quiet for this long."

"Where's Dean?"

"He called about an hour and a half ago. Apparently the inspection took longer than it should have. He said he wouldn't be home until around six-thirty." Serra took another breath and continued, quieter, "I didn't tell him what's happening. I didn't want him to freak out."

I glanced around from my position on the side of the road, extending my senses as much as I knew how. If Grace and Cas were both tuned in, it must be something to do with the other angels or Heaven.

Glancing at my backpack in the front seat, it occurred to me that the stone in my bag might be the cause of all the uproar. The engraving on the bottom was Enochian, after all.

"It might be me," I said quietly. "One of my students…he gave me this stone."

"Stone?"

"He said he found it near the Kansas River…it has Enochian engraved into it."

Serra was silent on the other end of the phone as she processed what I had said. "A rock with Enochian on it? That's gotta be what it is, right? What Grace and Cas are so tuned in to?"

"Why would they be tuned in to a rock?" I turned to look behind me again, still feeling like someone, or something, was watching me. "I can tell you right now though, Serra. They're watching me."

"Angels?"

"I think so." Throwing my car back into drive, I found my way back onto the highway. "I'm coming home. We'll figure out what this thing is."

"See you in a bit," she answered, hanging up.

I put my phone on the seat next to me, and every once and awhile as I drove, I swore my backpack would glow blue.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Serra

Waiting for Sam, I walked downstairs and paced around the kitchen. All of the kids were asleep now, and I convinced Grace and Cas to move their weird statue-like stare into the hallway so I could close the door and let the kids sleep. Glancing up, I could see them both, just standing there, listening. Shaking my head, I continued my pace pattern with Dean's nine in my right hand and an angel blade in my left.

I could hear the El Camino pull off the road and head up into Grace's driveway and Johnny trotted to the front door, his tail wagging slowly, waiting for Sam. I waited patiently and heard the staircase creak as Grace took a step towards me. It was the first time she had moved voluntarily in hours. Turning to stare at her, it was almost as if the air itself was electrified and I waited for her to make another move.

"Serra," she started. "You need to stop me."

"Stop you from what?"

I watched her swallow and set her jaw. Her tank top had risen slightly, showing the beginning of a slight bump. It was still too early for the every-man to tell that Grace was pregnant, but because I knew, she showed. "From touching it," she whispered.

As I watched, Castiel turned and faced the front door as well. "It's coming in," he said, his voice quiet and unsure. "I believe Grace is right…I believe you need to keep us from touching it until we know more about it." He took an unwilling step forward, joining Grace on the stairs

I sighed and rolled my eyes. " _Great,"_ I thought, readying myself as much as I could. I had no idea how strong the pull was to this rock that Sam was about to bring into the house, but I knew that it would be hard to keep both Grace and Cas away from it, and if it came down to it, I would have to banish Cas to keep a hold of Grace.

" _You're going to have to fight off Lailah, too,"_ I could hear Grace's thoughts flood my mind as I stood in front of the door. _"If it's possible, she's more obsessed with it than me and Cas."_

Turning around to face my sister, I shook my head. Sam had no idea what he was about to walk into. The front door opened and Sammy walked through, carrying his backpack with one hand and his keys with the other. "Sam, stop," I said, holding my arms out, still holding the gun and the blade. "Leave the bag outside." I could hear Grace take a step downstairs and glanced behind me. She was gripping the banister with both hands and had her eyes closed. I turned back towards Sam and the backpack and watched as the entire room began to glow with a strange blue light. "Take it outside," I demanded. "Right. Now."

Before I realized what was happening, Castiel was launching himself down the steps, trying to get to Sam. Grace had a hold of his arm, struggling to get free of her grip and ended up tripping, bringing them both to the ground. She tucked and rolled, allowing herself to fall down the rest of the flight of stairs and came up on both feet, still gripping Cas' arm with both hands. I turned and stood between Sam and Cas, holding out my arms again. "Cas," I started, "Cas you gotta get a grip. It's just a rock. Back off."

"It is hardly a rock," he growled, pushing towards me again, dragging Grace behind him.

I knew he wouldn't be consoled and glanced at Grace, thinking, " _Can I banish him without hurting you? Or Lailah?"_

 _"_ _Let's find out,"_ she answered, physically being dragged across the hardwood.

"Banish him, Sam," I said, gritting my teeth as I pushed back at Cas. I had my angel blade against his chest and the look in his eyes told me that it wasn't really Cas trying to get to Sam, but it was as if he was under some type of spell.

"What?" Sammy asked, tossing his backpack back out onto the porch. "What's going on?"

"The rock," I answered, pushing Cas away. "Grace, Lailah, and Cas are obsessed with the rock."

"Cas, get a grip," Sammy said, approaching Castiel. "Come on, man," he continued, grabbing him by his shoulders as he continued forward. "Let it go."

Castiel turned and looked at Sam with a facial expression I had never seen on his face. He grit his teeth, took a deep breath and held up his hands, palms out, towards Sam.

The explosion of light was silent. I remembered everything happening in slow motion as I was thrown aside. I saw Grace spinning herself around to stand in front of Castiel as his eyes flashed blue and attempted to attack Sam. Grace folded herself around Cas, wrapping her arms around his and absorbing the impact of whatever spell or angel magic Cas was trying to use. They were locked together for only seconds, but it was enough to see the expanse of both sets of wings as the angels struggled simultaneously.

The only thoughts I had were for the safety of my sister and I jumped back up, pulling Cas back and yelled again to Sammy. "Sam! Banish him! Draw it now!"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sam bend to retrieve my angel blade and cut his hand. He drew the banishment sigil on the wall next to him with his blood and slammed his hand down on the symbol. Immediately, white light flashed through the house and I was left, struggling against nothing and fell to the floor. "What? Where's Grace? What happened to Grace?" I screamed, standing and circling around the room.

"You told me to banish him!" Sam yelled back, panic hitting his voice as well. "I had no idea that it was gonna banish Grace, too! That's never happened before!"

"Oh my God!" I yelled inconsolably, picking up Dean's gun. "What the fuck happened to Grace?" Ripping open the front door, I ran out, barefoot, screaming, "Grace!"

Sam followed me out, standing on the porch. "What the fuck just happened, Serra?" he shouted. "Did you know that was going to happen? Why didn't you warn me on the phone?"

I was hysterical, "Grace!" I screamed, ignoring my husband. "Gracie!"

"Serra, stop!" Sam yelled, coming off the porch and gripping me by my shoulders. "Stop! Tell me what happened!"

"Before you walked in the door," I took a gasp of air, trying to calm the panic searing through my veins. "Before you got home, Grace told me to stop her."

"Stop her from what?"

"Touching the rock, but I don't think she knows what it is. She just knew she shouldn't be touching it." Sam released my shoulders and I spun in a slow circle again, still struggling to find my sister. "Cas and Lailah were obsessed with it and she said that I needed to stop them." I pushed my hair out of my face, trying my hardest to stay in control. "The only thing I could think to do was to banish Cas, and I asked her if it would affect her, but she made me do it anyway."

"Why didn't you tell me this over the phone?" Sammy asked, his arms splayed wide.

"We didn't know if would be this bad!" I screamed.

Sam stared at me, his eyes wide. Quietly, he asked, "Where does an angel go when we banish them?"

"Back to Heaven?" I asked, shaking my head. "Holy shit, Dean is gonna kill me."


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Grace

I woke up piled on top of Cas, who was doing his best to help me roll off of him and stand. We were in a pure white hallway, illuminated from all sides, with no visible light fixtures. I gasped in pain, still lying on the floor next to him, trying to figure out where the pain was coming from. Castiel stood above me and I could see that his hair was disheveled and his trench coat was slightly off kilter. He extended his hand, offering his help. The crazed look in his blue eyes was gone, so I lifted my arm from the floor and took his hand. Cringing in pain, I stood slowly, holding my ribs.

"Are you alright?" he asked quietly, holding my arm to steady me.

I grimaced. "I think one of my ribs is broken," I answered, trying but failing to stand to my full height. "It's probably the same one I broke when I was twenty, and again in The Pit. It's just weak, now." Cas extended his palm towards my forehead, but I shrugged him off. "It's okay, I got it," I murmured, turning away from him. Other pains were checking in and I closed my eyes to concentrate momentarily on repair. "Where are we?" I asked, trying to distract myself.

"Sam banished us," he answered, almost embarrassed. "I lost control. Serendipity made a wise choice, keeping us separated from one of The Stones."

"What are 'The Stones'? Something tells me that you're not referring to Mick Jagger."

"Who is Mick Jagger?"

I shook my head, finally able to extend myself into my full height. "Never mind," I said, glancing around. "Focus, Cas. What are 'The Stones'?"

He sighed and began walking down the hall. I jogged to keep up. "There are seven," he began, straightening his trench coat and running a hand through his hair. "They are what provides Heaven with the material of which all Weapons of Heaven are made."

"Holy shit," I whispered, retying my hair into a braid as we walked. "Why are they on Earth?"

"They're not supposed to be," he answered, glancing at me. He avoided eye contact as we walked and I knew he was struggling to find the words to ask for my forgiveness. "They're supposed to be in the Weapons Hold, but obviously, at least one has been taken. They can only be used by chosen angels or mortals."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that there is a traitor among us," he answered, stopping without warning in the middle of the long hall. "Grace, I apologize for putting you and your unborn child in danger."

I shook my head. "Don't worry about, Cas. Honestly, I did it to myself, too. I lost control."

"Did you? Or did Lailah?" He stared at me, his blue eyes penetrating their way into my subconscious. Now, thinking about it, I couldn't tell the difference. Lailah had kept up her end of the bargain and stayed quiet while using me as a vessel, but the desire that I had to take The Stone…it felt like my own.

"I don't know," I finally answered. "I think it was both of us, but I think Sam banished her, and I happened to be attached. Dean is going to flip."

"We'll get you back as soon as the spell releases us from Heaven."

I glanced around, realizing that we were walking through the halls of Heaven as we spoke. "That's what a banishment does? Sends you back into Heaven?"

He nodded. "Yes," he began, glancing back at me as he walked. "Usually, the spell will hold us here for the next three days or so."

"Three days?" I shook my head. "Can we contact anyone to tell them we're okay? If we're not careful, Dean will be bursting through these halls to drag me back. There's got to be a way to keep him calm while we're held."

Cas shook his head. "No, that's what makes a banishment charm work so well. Your sister knows what happened. Can't she just keep Dean at bay?"

I tilted my head. "No one can keep Dean at bay, except me." I shook my head and looked around. "Come on, Cas, think. There's got to be a way that I can leave. I'm half human. Laws of Heaven shouldn't apply completely to me."

"You carry an angel and are currently creating one. I am afraid you are trapped here right along with me, for the time being," he said, beginning his brisk walk once more.

I closed my eyes and followed behind him, realizing that I was in nothing but a white tank top and a pair of Dean's boxers. I was even barefoot. The good news is that I hadn't thrown up in over four hours. I had a feeling that things would be getting out of hand in a hurry unless I could find a way to talk to Dean or Serra.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Serra

I was freaking out. I was fucking freaking out. I had no idea that the angel sigil would banish Grace as well and knowing that she was out there, unprotected, while she was fucking pregnant, _again_ … I kept flashing to our time in Hell, seeing her small bump from being pregnant with the twins, and the feeling of helplessness would return, just as it had while we had been tortured. I couldn't believe we were back here again.

"What the fuck are we going to do?" I shrieked, turning towards Sam as we stood outside in the darkness of the evening.

"It's okay, Serra," Sam said, trying to keep me calm. "She's okay, she's just in Heaven."

"She's in Heaven with _Cas_. He just tried to attack you _because of a rock_ , Sam." I spun away from him, my bare feet stomping up the wooden steps to the Big House. "I don't know the extent of a banishment charm! How long is she stuck there? Is Cas still rock-crazy? Do you get punished in Heaven if a banishment sigil is used on you?" I took a breath, lowering my voice as we walked back into the living room. "What the hell is Dean gonna do to me once he figures out that we banished his wife and unborn kid?" Spinning to face Sam, I put my hands on my hips. "Are you following me here? Do you see how big of a problem this is?"

Sam tilted his head, struggling to keep up. "What the hell is it?" he asked, pointing to the backpack he held. "What could have made them react like that?"

I shook my head and stared at the bag. "Let me see it."

Unzipping the bag very carefully, Sam reached in and pulled out a metallic rock, looking very similar to the color of graphite. There were cubic columns of shiny metal lacing through the stone and it was a little bigger than a grapefruit. The blue glow was gone, now that the angels had been banished, so other than it being shiny, there was nothing overly special about it. I took it from his hands and was surprised at how lightweight it was. Turning it over in my hands, I could feel a tingle in my fingertips through the cold of the stone and it began to illuminate once again.

"Look, it's starting to glow again. And do you feel that?" I asked, handing the stone back to Sam. "The tingle? It's almost like static electricity."

He took the rock from me and shook his head. The dull glow ceased almost immediately. "I don't feel anything," he said, handing the stone back to me. "Maybe you're still just amped from the fight?"

Shrugging, I stared at the rock as the glow grew stronger once more. "Maybe," I replied quietly. "Maybe not." I could hear the telltale rumble of the Impala's three-twenty-seven engine as Dean turned off the highway and drove up the gravel of their driveway. "Shit," I whispered, looking up towards the door. "What do we even say?"

"Don't say anything right away. Let him ask. We'll tell the story and go from there."

I stared up at my husband and made a face. "Are we even talking about the same person?"

He ignored me as I listened to Dean's boot steps up the stairs and his keys in the door. I was more afraid of my brother-in-law's reaction than I ever was of being tortured in Hell. I didn't know if I would be able to handle the look on Dean's face when I told him that I let his wife get banished to Heaven.

Dean opened the door and smiled at us, hanging his keys on the hook as he walked in. "Hey, guys," he greeted, letting his bag fall to the floor. "How'd it go today, Serra?"

"Not bad," I answered, walking to the bar in the kitchen and sitting down on the barstool. "Until about seven minutes ago."

"She puking again?" he chuckled, shrugging out of his flannel and hanging it on the back of the chair at the dining room table.

I smiled lightly, still trying to figure out how to approach the subject.

He didn't see my reaction, but he glanced to the second floor landing, heading towards the steps, "She upstairs?"

Making a face, I tilted my head, "Yes," I answered, biting my bottom lip. "But not your stairs."

"What?" he asked, turning towards me. His entire facial expression changed suddenly, the smile sliding off his face as he stared across the living room, seeing the angel sigil painted on the opposite wall, still glistening with Sam's blood. "What the hell is that for?"

"Some shit went down right before you got home, Dean," I started, trying my best to speak in a calm voice. "Sam brought home this rock and Grace and Cas can hear it or something and then she told me not to let either one of them touch it."

Dean's face was smoothing out the way it did when he was really pissed off. His jaw locked in place and I could tell he was doing everything he could to stay rooted to the ground to listen to the rest of my story.

"Cas lost it…he lunged at Sam, trying to get the stone and Grace tried to hold him back. It all happened so fast." I took a deep breath as Dean stepped towards me. "Cas attacked Sam, or tried to, and Grace blocked him, and yelled to banish him. The next thing we knew, they were both gone."

"Gone? Gone where?" Dean stared at the banishment sigil on the wall behind me. He pointed, "Where do angels go when they're banished?"

"Back to Heaven?" I said, forming my statement into a question. "I really don't know." Glancing back at Sam, I did my best to stay calm. "I had no idea that Grace would go too."

"Holy shit, Serra! What the fuck were you thinking?"

Sam stepped forward, preparing to defend me. I stood in between the boys, knowing things could get out of hand in a hurry. "Stop, stop," I said, holding up my hands between them. "You can't tell me that you knew she would get banished too."

"I would have had an idea!" Dean shouted, turning away from me and walking towards the bar again. "Jesus! She's got an angel rattling around in her subconscious and she's knocked up with another one. That girl's got more angel in her right now than Cas does!"

"I'm sorry, Dean!" I shouted. "Grace told me to do it and I questioned her, but she pushed me on. Told me to do it anyway!"

"Since when do you listen to her?" he demanded, putting his hands in the air. "You never listen to Grace!"

"I do when our survival is at stake," I defended myself. "I take orders. I do what she tells me to do in a fight because she's good at keeping us alive. Who knows how long we would have been able to keep Cas at bay? He was bent!"

Dean's entire demeanor changed and he stared upstairs again. "Are the kids okay?" he asked, starting up the steps.

I followed, taking the steps two at a time. "They were asleep in your room," I replied, right on his heels. "They're okay, I think. This _literally_ just happened."

We ran down the hall, Sam right behind us and Dean silently opened the door to his bedroom. I could count three babies passed out, nestled in the blankets and pillows, right where we had left them. Liberty was the only one that I couldn't immediately see.

"Lib. Where's Lib?" Dean whipped around to face me, his eyes wide with panic. "Where is Liberty?"

I pushed the door open all the way, not caring if I woke up the babies or not. "Liberty?" I asked, fear entering my voice, "Libby!" I turned and ran down the hall towards her room, flipping on lights as I ran. "Oh my God, Lib!" I screamed, throwing on the hallway light. Entering her room, I flipped back the covers of her bed and hit the floor, looking under the bed for my niece. I could hear Dean calling her name from down the hall as he searched as well. "Liberty!"

Abandoning my search in her bedroom, I ran next door to Glory's room. Performing the same search, I came up empty and I could feel the horror trickle down my spine. "Liberty!" I shouted again, moving into Everett's room, still searching. I ran back down the hall and towards the stairs, bumping in to Dean as I ran. "Liberty!" I shouted, not wasting time apologizing. We both headed towards the basement and screamed her name once more. "Liberty!"

I could feel myself entering a state of fear that I had never experienced in my life. If this is what it felt like to me, I couldn't begin to wrap my mind around what Dean was feeling. I chanced a glance at my brother-in-law and he met my gaze with tears in his eyes.

"I don't understand," I managed, forcing my voice to stay steady. "Was she banished too? How can that be?" Dean's eyes were wild and I could tell that we were losing him. "Dean," I said, my voice firm. "You've gotta stay with me, here. We'll figure this out. If it was the sigil, they're probably together."

"You don't know that, Serra! You don't fucking know that," he wiped his face with both of his hands and took a deep, ragged breath. "We don't even know if she was banished. What if someone or something took her?"

"Why would they leave the other kids?" I asked, straining to find the logic in the situation. "Why would you leave half of the team? Even if this is about some fucking destiny, Lib and Glory are supposed to be a team. Glory is still there. She's there, I saw her."

Sam came down the steps, carrying Levi and Glory. Glory was rubbing her face, looking around for her parents. Finally, she saw Dean and insisted on being put down at the base of the steps. As she crawled over to her father, he bent to pick her up, purely out of habit and continued to stare at me. "We'll get them back, Dean," I continued quietly. "I swear to you. We'll get them both back."


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Grace

We came to the end of the pure white hall and I did my best to get control of the situation. I knew I was out of range to try and telepathically speak to Serra, and Cas seemed ambivalent to my concern. "Cas, come on, talk to me for a second. Can't you have Lucia _bamf_ herself down there to Serra and Dean and just tell them that we're okay?"

Castiel turned to face me and the look on his face was that of concern as well. "Honestly, Grace, I'm unsure of where we are in Heaven. I have no ability to contact Lucia because these rooms are individual heavens and they are isolated, away from the other angels," he said, gesturing to the doors. "We're in the catacombs and more often than not, angels get lost up here accidentally because we're not permitted. We need to find the Gardens so I can get my bearings."

Licking my lips, I put my hands on my hips, realizing again, that I was basically naked. "I don't even have a bra on, Cas. I'm not ready for something like this."

"Ready or not," he said, attempting a smile. He turned right at the T intersection and I followed him, purely out of habit.

I had been to Heaven once before. Castiel and I came over a year ago to retrieve Sam after being killed during the battle that freed me and Serra from Hell. We hadn't explored at all, staying only in the initial chambers near the Hall of Necessity. Simply being back, I was calmer, feeling like I was at home. The voices in my head from other angels were louder, but it was a comforting sound: much like a crowded house on a holiday with family. I did what I could to filter out the voices, searching for familiarity, but Dean and Serra were nowhere to be found. There was a voice I recognized, but it seemed impossible that I could hear her from so far away.

Turning suddenly to face me, Cas stared at me and tilted his head. "I can hear her too," Cas said, raising his eyebrows.

"What?" I asked, my mouth hanging open in surprise. "Why can we hear her? She should be out of range, right?"

"If we can hear Liberty, she is on this side of the veil," Cas replied, fear strangling his voice as well.

I took off at a run, throwing myself down the hallway towards the sound of my daughter's voice. My brain struggled with the single thought that wound itself in and out of my deepest fears. If Liberty was here, she must be dead.

On a whim, I turned left at the next intersection and continued at full speed. "Liberty!" I screamed, knowing I was getting closer to where she was. "Lib!"

"Momma?" I heard her reply, but I couldn't tell if I heard her in my subconscious or out loud. I stopped, mid-run, Cas almost slamming into my back.

"Lib?" I asked again, stopping in front of one of the individual heaven doors. "Oh my God," I said, turning to Cas, "Baby, are you in there?"

I knew, if Liberty was behind one of the doors, that mean that her Earthly life had ended and she had already been assigned a room.

Castiel approached cautiously, listening to the door we stood in front of. "Liberty?" he asked again, barely breathing.

"Uncle Cas?" she asked, hearing his voice.

I almost sobbed with relief, knowing that she wasn't behind the door we stood in front of. Her voice carried from somewhere behind me. I turned and took off at a run again and as I rounded the corner at the end of the hallway, sunlight hit me with such a force that it almost knocked me off my feet.

"Libby!" I shouted, entering the Gardens. "Lib!"

I could see her blonde curls shining in the sunlight before she answered me. She was running towards me, shouting my name, "Momma!" she cried, reaching for me. I collapsed to my knees, opening my arms to my oldest daughter. She didn't slow down and we fell to the soft grass together. Relief swelled my heart as I held Liberty, breathing her scent and kissing her face.

"Oh my God," I repeated, my eyes squeezed shut, tears leaking from my lids. I turned to Cas without letting her go, "How is she here?"

Cas was shaking his head, still staring at us on the ground. "I don't know," he replied, his eyes wide. "She must have enough angelic influence for the banishment sigil to work on her as well."

"Does that mean Glory is here somewhere, too?" I looked around, suddenly, expecting to see her crawling towards me. "I can't hear her, can you?"

Castiel listened with me, hoping together that we would not be able to hear her. We both shook our heads ever so slightly, confirming that neither of us could hear my middle child. "The twins have too much of Dean in them to be affected, I believe," Cas said quietly, staring down at Liberty.

"What do we do, Cas?" I asked quietly. "We're not supposed to be here. Lailah is flipping out She's hard to ignore."

He nodded quietly. "I can hear her as well," he said, glancing around.

"What do we do, Cas?" I folded my legs under myself and held Liberty tighter. "We need to figure something out. She can't stay here."

"Neither can we." Castiel offered a hand to me, helping me up off the grass. "This area is forbidden to our kind. And you," he said quietly, "will attract all kinds of attention."

I pressed my lips together, knowing that he was referring to the fact that I was a nephilim that was carrying a more-than-half-angel fetus while also being used as a vessel by another angel. It was a messy situation that I had no desire to flaunt.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Sam

Dean was inconsolable. Not only was his pregnant wife missing _again_ , but his eldest daughter was gone as well. I stared at the bag that held the rock again and shook my head. What was I thinking, bringing something like that home?

Serra turned to me and held out her hand. "Let's see it again," she said, wiggling her fingers. "Let's see what started this whole fuckfest."

I nodded and brought my backpack to the table and unzipped it again. I knew Serra wanted to inspect it more closely now that the initial panic had subsided. Dean was comforting Glory and Everett, trying his best to hold it together for his two other children.

For the time being, Everett was calm and content, but Serra told me earlier that he had been laying with Grace most of the day. I knew from past experience that my nephew had the ability to "charge up" from being on Grace uninterrupted for a few hours, so he would be all right for the evening, at least.

I watched Dean as he paced past me once more, setting Everett on the blanket near the TV and continued to bounce Glory. I handed Serra the rock that had caused so many problems in the last two hours. She turned it over in her hands once more, pausing when she came to the inscription on the bottom of the stone.

"Did you translate this yet?" she asked, not looking up.

I shook my head. "No," I said quietly. "I figured that Grace or Cas would do it. I had no idea they would react the way they did."

Serra turned the rock in her hands, trying to figure out which way was up and held her hand out. "Where's the book?" she asked. "I know you brought one home. You had to have."

Reaching into my backpack again, I pulled out the ancient, dusty book and handed it to my wife. She immediately grabbed a pen and a pad of paper and sat to go to work. I turned to Dean and took a breath, anticipating telling him something comforting, something reassuring, but when he stared back at me, the words died in my mouth. It was one thing to have your wife missing, but it was something entirely different to be missing your child. We didn't even know for sure where Liberty was. She could be in Heaven with Grace and Cas, but there was a possibility that she wasn't, and we had no idea where to even begin to look.

At a loss, I turned back to Serendipity and watched as she made notes on the pad in front of her. I felt useless. Levi had been asleep since this whole debacle began and now that it was close to eight, I knew he wouldn't wake again until four or five in the morning.

Making a decision, I turned towards Serra and took a breath. "I'm gonna go to the river where the kid found it."

"And do what?" Serra asked, looking up at me with daggers in her eyes. "You're not going anywhere. Help me translate this."

"You know just as much as me when it comes to Enochian and there's nothing else for me to do here. I feel like I have to do something. I can't just stand around, waiting for something else to happen." I stared at my wife, pleading with her to allow me to get away from the pain that emanated from my brother.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Dean watching us interact and I knew that he would want to come with me to the river. Turning towards him, I shook my head. "Stay here with her and help if she needs it. You never know," I said, grabbing my keys off the table and pulling on my jacket. "Grace and Lib could show back up any time."

He remained silent and looked away, back towards Glory. Everett was asleep again, curled up on the blanket on the floor. Glancing at my wife, she finally nodded her quiet consent. I strode towards the front door and almost broke into a run as soon as I was clear of the porch. If I hauled ass, I could be to the spot on the map where Bryan touched in less than forty-five minutes.

…

The drive was uneventful and I slowed, my windows down, listening to the crickets and frogs on the shoreline of the small cove on the banks of the Kansas River. There was nothing out of the ordinary about the place that I could see, but I hadn't even gotten out of the car yet. I put my El Camino in park and got out slowly, trying to be as quiet as I could.

There was a clearing off to the left of the beach, where the long shore grass met the tree line. In the moonlight, I could just make out the outline of a cave, so I ventured as softly as I could through the growth. There were fresh footprints along the shore, the bottoms of the impressions just barely filled with river water. Following the steps along the edge of the water, I could tell that they disappeared into the mouth of the tiny cave. I reached into my pocket and used the flashlight on my phone and got down on my hands and knees to continue the trail.

The mud at the mouth of the cave was sticky, obviously untouched for months. I couldn't see how someone would be able to walk into the cave, considering the lack of size, but I glanced around once more just to be sure. I backed my way out of the mouth and returned again to the set of footprints I had discovered. Standing up to my full height, I retraced them until I came to the opposite end of the shore of the small cove.

Here, there was another set of prints, much smaller than the first. Comparing the two different sets, I tilted my head, wondering if one was male and the other was female, considering the difference in size. There had been a scuffle; the footsteps were muddled together and drag patterns in the wet sand. I followed the trail into the grass and could tell that the fight didn't end there. There were more footprints in the soft grass, heading towards the tree line. Climbing the embankment of the shore, I could see the imprint of someone being pushed forcibly down into the mud and then running marks as the male took off, away from the scene.

Now that I was at the top of the embankment, I turned in a full circle, realizing that I had come quite a distance away from my car. I began my walk back, coming up empty, but turned towards the sound of an old truck. The headlights blinded me and I squinted, attempting to block the light with my arm. It was a truck identical to the make and model of Serra's truck, but beat up and rusty. It came closer at idle speed and I turned to watch it approach.

There was a middle-aged woman at the wheel; she had graying hair and glasses. It almost seemed as if she was possessive of the surrounding area, and we simply stared at each other as she idled by. It surprised me when she came to a stop in front of my El Camino.

"What are you doing here, boy?" she asked, her voice sweeter than I expected. "This here is private property."

"I'm sorry," I said, searching for a lie. Dean was so much better at this than me. "I took a wrong turn somewhere down the line and I was hoping for a place to camp for the night, but it's too wet down there."

She stared at me and right then and there I knew she knew I was lying. She took a deep breath as she shook her head. "I thought, bein' a hunter, that you'd be a better liar."

My mouth dropped open. "What?"

"Come on," she said, pulling me by the shirt from the window of her truck. "Get in my truck. They're probably going to come back any time, now that I've been made."

"Who?" I was so confused, "Who is coming back? Who—who are you?"

She took a deep breath, using the back of her hand to brush a strand of gray hair out of her face. She sighed and glanced around nervously. A glint of something caught my eye as I shifted my weight from one foot to the other in the moonlight; an angel blade rested on the bench seat next to her. "I'm a friend, Sam. Please get in the truck."

Shaking my head, I took a step backwards. "No," I said, "not until you tell me who you are."

I could feel an electricity sizzle in the air and faint flutters of wings. The dark night sky seemed to be alive with activity that I couldn't see. She glanced up and rolled her eyes, "They can't get close," she said quietly. "I'm protected."

"Who can't get close? Protected? Protected from what?" I ran a hand through my hair as I struggled with the situation. "What is going on? How do you know me?"

Turning back to her truck, she started the engine and rolled the window down the rest of the way. "You comin' or not?"

Giving in, I knew I would regret it if I didn't get in the truck, so I jogged around the front, the headlights shining through my flannel as I crossed in front of them. She was gunning it before I had my door closed. We were tearing through the wilderness, taking corners faster than it was necessary, but it told me that she had been driving this road for decades. Turning towards me in the seat she extended her hand slightly, wanting to shake mine. Slowly, I returned the gesture.

Taking my hand, she took a deep breath. "It's nice to finally meet you, Sam Winchester. I'm so glad to see you're taking such good care of my little renegade."

"Your little renegade?" I asked, doubt seeping into my words.

She smiled sadly at me and nodded. She glanced back at the dark road and closed her eyes, preparing herself for this moment. Finally, she said, "My name is Emery."

…

After the initial shock of hearing that this was apparently the same woman that Serra and Grace were convinced were dead, I followed her into the small cabin where she lived and watched as she moved around quickly, flicking on lights and opening windows.

"You're supposed to be dead," I said quietly, finally coming out of my thoughts.

She turned to stare at me, her gray strands of hair falling into her face again. "I know I am," she answered, almost embarrassed. "You have to understand why."

I found myself shaking my head; ready to argue no matter what direction the conversation took. "You can't expect me to understand. The pain you've caused…why would you do that to them?"

She approached me suddenly, closer than I expected and she shook her head. "Listen to me, Sam. Things have been set in motion, things that I can't control…I can explain everything that happened then, later, but right now, we need to get Grace and Liberty out of Heaven before the levee breaks."

"What are you talking about?"

Emery shook her head again as she stood in front of a wardrobe with a false back, pulling shotguns and ammunition out of it. Stacking it all on the bed in the middle of the room, she explained as she moved, "The angel that set it all up…he…he betrayed all of us. He was supposed to be helping me protect Grace and Serra and prepare them both for the destiny that you all are meant to fulfill, but from the sound of things, it was all just a ploy to gain trust and the control over the Weapons of Heaven."

"What?" I stood in the middle of the room, my arms spread wide, not understanding anything that she was trying to explain.

"Sam," Emery said firmly. "I know it seems impossible, but you have to trust me. The girls are in danger. Well," she paused, lifting her eyebrows, "all of us are in danger now. There is a group of rebels among them. They're planning to overthrow the Battalion and take control of Heaven."

"Who?"

"Their leader is an angel named Ouriel." Emery looked away from me again and went back to unpacking her weapon stores. "I trusted him too much," she whispered, packing the duffle bag that now held ammunition.

"And he's who is responsible for stealing The Stone?"

Emery whipped around to face me and tilted her head, immediately angry. "How do you know about The Stone?"

I took an involuntary step back from her, holding up my hands, palms out. "What is it?" I asked, completely ignoring her question.

"Do you have it?" Emery pressed, stepping towards me again. She cocked the shotgun she held with one hand and pointed it at me, staring at me from over the barrel of the gun. "Where is it?"

"You need to calm the hell down," I said quietly. "Let's just take a couple steps back and talk about this."

Emery didn't lower the sawed off, but spoke quietly. "That Stone is one of seven and was stolen from the Weapons Hold of Heaven. It can be used to make whatever weapons Ouriel decides. That Stone could single-handedly mean the downfall of Heaven."

I shook my head slowly, still holding up my hands. "Can't Heaven fight back? I mean, it's not like they don't have all the same weapons." I was so confused. There had to be more information that she wasn't giving me…there had to be a detail I was missing somewhere along the lines. "What can Ouriel make that Heaven can't defend against?"

"Anything he wants, especially teaming with what's left of Dekar's boys from Hell."

The name shot recognition through my mind and I grappled with the idea that the demon that had killed me still had enough power (even though he was dead) that the demons that once followed him could possibly overthrow Heaven.

Chancing the push in the conversation, I threw caution to the wind and asked, "How do you know Ouriel?"

Emery took a deep breath, her eyes glassy with emotion. Slowly, she lowered the sawed off and stared up into my face. "I loved him."


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Grace

I had been carrying Liberty as we walked through the gardens and my arms burned with exertion. "Lib, you gotta walk, baby. I can't carry you anymore."

Cas turned to see me set her down and take her hand. She was tired and hungry, I knew, but there was nothing here to give her. He approached us and smiled gently at my daughter. "Hello, tiny Winchester," he greeted again. "Would you like me to carry you?"

Libby smiled weakly and nodded. "Tank you, Uncle Cas," she said quietly, lifting her arms for him to pick her up. Immediately, she rested her head on his shoulder and was already close to sleep as we continued through the Gardens of Heaven.

"How much longer through this, Cas?" I asked quietly. "It feels like we've been walking for days."

Castiel licked his lips and nodded slightly. "The Gardens are eternal, but there are doors hidden along the way. We just have to look for one."

"Can I help? Tell me what to look for."

He shrugged. "You can probably see them as well. They're illuminated slightly when stared at from an angle. The angels can see them, only to be taken back to the Hall of Necessity." Glancing back at me, he shrugged. "Occasionally, an angel is sent to the Gardens for meditation. They, of course, need a way back, so there are exits."

Nodding, I glanced around. "Alright, I'll keep an eye out." I rolled my neck from side to side and tried to ignore the monologue coming from Lailah. She hadn't been silent since we were banished into Heaven and part of me wondered why she was so worked up.

"I wonder that as well," Cas said quietly, answering my thoughts. "She has been quite insistent that we get back to Earth in a timely manner."

"That's putting it mildly," I said, sarcastic. "She hasn't shut up for hours about needing to get back and how it might throw off the plan for me and Lib to be here at the same time…None of it really makes any sense." I glanced at Cas as we walked. "It's almost like she's trying to keep me from something."

His blue eyes stared at me, longer than he needed to, but he nodded slightly, understanding what I meant. "What she could be keeping you from, I have no idea. There are many secrets in Heaven. Different levels of angels have different levels of information." He turned suddenly, staring at something that I couldn't see. I moved closer to him, hoping to catch a glimpse and I wasn't disappointed.

There, just beyond the tree line, there was a blue glow coming from the shadows. It seemed to outline a door with no handle. Following Cas, I swallowed as I watched him close his eyes and reach with his hand, palm out, while still supporting my sleeping daughter in his arms.

I waited patiently, expecting the door to open while Cas extended himself, but nothing happened. "That's one of the doors, right?"

Cas turned to me and nodded, but he was obviously confused. "It won't open for me," he said, staring back at the exit. "I don't understand."

Approaching the door with my hand extended, I glanced at him. "What do I do?" I asked, waiting.

"Ask permission to leave," he answered simply.

I nodded and closed my eyes. After a few seconds, the door came forward, allowing blue light to fill the surrounding darkness. I turned back towards Cas and shrugged. "Well, whatever, let's get out of here." Castiel nodded and stared at the open door as he followed me through it.

His eyebrows were furrowed and he was very confused and almost a little offended. "Why wouldn't the door allow me through?" he asked quietly as we continued down a blue-light filled hallway. "I am more angelic than you."

Pursing my lips, I shrugged. "Not really, Cas," I started, glancing at him. "Think about it, I've got Lailah, the baby, and the nephilim thing. If you actually add it all up, it's more than a hundred percent." I grinned at him, poking him in the shoulder. "So really, right now, I'm more angelic than you." I giggled, still walking at a brisk pace. "And plus, you're carrying Lib. Maybe it thought you were trying to break a mortal out of the Garden."

Castiel seemed to mull this over and shrugged. "At least we are on our way back to the Hall of Necessity. Perhaps we can get you home and figure out a way to get The Stone put back where it goes without us attacking anyone again."

"Why did we act that way over a rock?"

Cas sighed, shaking his head. "Because it's one of the most powerful things in Heaven and it pledges loyalty to the One that it deems worthy. That particular Stone has yet to pledge its loyalty. It's up for the taking." He paused and took a breath. "Those Stones can create weapons that are infallible." He took a breath and glanced at me. "Michael's Sword is made from one of those Stones."

"Wow," I whispered, coming up on a fork in the hall. "Impressive. I would imagine that something like that would be under heavy guard. You said there was a traitor among us. Who would even have ability to steal something that well guarded?"

Cas shook his head as we came to the end of the hall. He pushed at the door and white light spilled out from around the edges of the frame. "I don't know," he said quietly, but I feel that he has many friends. Many people that trust him."

"If you say 'he,' you must have an idea of who it is."

Cas shifted Liberty from one arm to the other. "I do," he answered sadly. "I hope I am incorrect."

…

We meandered through a series of rooms that I was more familiar with and we finally came to a stop at the edge of a place where many angels gathered, almost socializing. They turned, sensing us more than hearing us, and each stopped to stare. Their conversations shifted to the new people in the room and I couldn't help but prepare myself for a potential fight. I had no idea how the other angels would react to my presence or to that of my daughter's. There were whispers as we moved through the crowd and I did my best to keep my head held high and my eyes forward, not bending to their judgment.

Finally, nearing the exit to the room, a deep, stern voice called out to Cas.

"Castiel," he declared. Cas stopped in his tracks, setting his jaw and making a face at me. "Castiel, who is that with you? Are you now procreating, as those mortals that you spend all your time with do so often?" There was a wave of soft laughter through the crowd as a very tall angel stepped forward; his posture relaxed and his dark eyes were focused on Liberty.

Cas pushed Lib into my arms and stood to face the angel. "I'm taking them home, Ouriel. I know they don't belong here, but a strange happenstance allowed all of us to be banished at once." Cas licked his lips again and stepped back, forcing Liberty and me towards the doorway.

"Banished? Together?" The angel named Ouriel seemed confused by this information and glanced at me, still standing behind Cas. "If they were able to be banished, then they both have angelic blood." A grin spread over Ouriel's face and he waggled his eyebrows teasingly. "Castiel is making new friends," he said quietly.

"The child is not mine," Cas said, defending himself. "She belongs to the Nephilim."

I had never heard Cas refer to me by my angelic classification before and hearing him say it with the disdain that floated through his voice stung. I glanced at him and immediately; he reached behind me and squeezed my hand reassuringly. Understanding washed over me and I nodded, realizing that he was playing a part as much as he could, trying to keep us alive.

I turned back towards Ouriel and gauged his reaction upon hearing that I was nephilim. His eyes narrowed as recognition hit and he stared at me coldly.

"This Nephilim has been accepted and loved by our Father," Castiel explained, turning his voice to the crowd standing behind Ouriel. "I accept her as well. The child," he continued, taking a breath and gesturing towards Lib, "is the result of the union between her and Michael's Vessel. She is holy…pure, and must not be touched."

Ouriel smiled again, his cold stare gone, and tilted his head. "Michael's Vessel?" he asked, bowing his head slightly. "Michael's _Marked_ Vessel. Holy indeed."

"We have no quarrel with you, Ouriel. Please let me take them home."

I mentally tallied the number of angels that surrounded us and knew that Cas and I could never take on that many all at the same time and live to tell about it, especially not with Liberty in my arms. I took another step backwards and tried to pull Cas along with me, but he hesitated.

"What if we have a quarrel with you, Castiel? Favoring the Nephilim over your own family?" Ouriel's voice was angry and overly emotional. As I listened, I couldn't help but consider how human this angel sounded. "We are your true family, Castiel, and you have abandoned us, just as Father has."

"Father tires of your internal wars," Castiel replied, taking a step back with me. "Eventually, Ouriel, even you will find balance again. I have heard that the Nephilim is the key." Cas took another step backwards and pushed Lib and me completely through the doorway. He slammed the door behind us and hurried me on, down the hall. "We're almost to the platform," he whispered. "You need to go home to Dean. He will protect you from what is coming."

"What's coming, Cas?"

"Ouriel is starting a war," Cas replied, setting his jaw. "He just fired the first shot."

I whipped around to face him as he continued to usher me towards the platform to the entrance to Heaven. "Stop, Cas, stop!" I said, planting my heels into the slick floor as best as I could. "What are you talking about? Who was that?"

"That was Ouriel…he was once the angelic liaison between Heaven and Hell before the Apocalypse. Now, he is left without purpose…Lucifer was at least willing to converse, but Crowley and Dekar wouldn't give him the chance. They shut him out and since then, he has wanted to declare war on Hell." Cas physically picked me up from the ground; tiring of the fight I was putting up. "If Ouriel gets the followers he needs, he wants to build an army to bring Heaven and Hell to Earth and claim it as our own."

"Heaven and Hell, together? That doesn't make any sense. They've always been separate!"

"He has friends everywhere," Cas grunted, setting me on top of the platform and standing back. "Stay with Dean. Don't leave his side."

I shook my head, "You said the spell is still holding me," I said.

"No longer the case," Cas disagreed. "I can feel that it recognizes Liberty as mostly human. The platform will allow you to leave. I am bound here for the remainder of the spell."

"Cas—"

"Go." With a flash of light, I was sucked down towards Earth.

We hit the ground hard and I tried to cushion the blow for Lib as much as I could, but I heard a crack and my chest lit up with pain once again. "Sonovabitch," I whispered, lying on the ground with Liberty on top of me. I knew the same rib was broken again. I took a deep breath and concentrated on repairing my broken rib once more. I evaluated Lib as I sat up slowly, looking around. She was awake now and stood next to me.

"Hi, Momma," she greeted, rubbing her face. "We're home now."

Smiling weakly, I glanced at the angels that sat on the park bench near the playground where the entrance to Heaven was hidden. They watched me carefully, most likely already knowing who we were and wanting to avoid any unnecessary action without Cas, I stood, dusted myself off and picked Liberty up. I began walking the opposite direction, wanting to get as far away from the angels on the bench as I could. They didn't look friendly.

I had no idea how long we had been gone, but I knew it was long enough for me and Lib to both be hungry. It was almost pitch black outside, so I assumed it must be the middle of the night. Doing my best to make us look presentable, I tried redoing her hair and pulling mine into a bun at the base of my neck. There was nothing I could do about my clothes and my lack of shoes, but at least Liberty was dressed appropriately. She was barefoot too, but I carried her again, keeping her feet protected.

We walked for about twenty minutes in the dark before coming to a car parked on the side of the road. I glanced around and set Lib on the roof of the car as I tried to decide what to do. There was option A, which meant more walking, for who knows how long, to the nearest gas station or diner, looking for a phone to call home. There was option B, which was finding a person or a house, to hopefully use their phone. I was staring at option C.

The last time I stole a car, it hadn't ended well, but I couldn't see how my other two options were viable. I had a three-year-old to feed, it was dark and late, and plus, if we didn't make it home soon, Dean would be tearing the world apart, looking for us. I glanced up at Liberty who had a grin plastered on her face, still sitting on top of the car.

"Now, baby," I started, "we're just borrowing this car." I looked down and closing my eyes, I tried the door handle. It was unlocked. "We're gonna drive it to a gas station or a diner to call Daddy, and the owners can pick it up there."

Grinning, Liberty nodded. "Borrow!" she declared, allowing me to put her in the car. She bounced across the front seat and made herself at home.

I looked around again and sat down next to her. My heart was in my throat with anxiety, knowing that this was a huge, but necessary risk. I felt around for the keys, checking under the floor mat and in the visor. I checked the glove box and the center console, but I came up empty handed. "Okay, so we're going to learn about hot wiring today," I said, narrating my next move to my daughter. "If Auntie Lucky asks, the keys were in it."

"Keys!" Libby shouted, lying down on the seat as I did. We both stared under the dash as I felt for the ignition switch wires. Pulling them out, I used my teeth to cut into the wire, shaking off the mild shock that I got from the charge, and using my nails to strip the plastic from the rest of the wire, I touched them together ever so gently.

The late-eighties Buick clicked at me, unwilling to start up, so I tried again, tapping the wires together repetitively. With each touch, I got closer to a turnover of the engine. "Come on," I whispered, getting frustrated. "Dean makes this look so easy."

"Easy!" Lib repeated gleefully. I shook my head and rolled my eyes as I tried again. The engine turned over once and then died, sputtering to a stop. Sitting up, I glanced at the dash to check that there was even gas in the car that I was trying to steal. I nodded, satisfied that there was a half of a tank, so I laid back down to try again.

After about five minutes, I got the engine to roll over again and I pressed my hand down on the gas pedal, tricking the car into revving and getting fuel to seep back into the injectors. I revved the engine with my hand a few more times and very slowly, released the pedal. Finally, the Buick stayed idling and I closed my eyes, thankful that it had worked.

"Ready to go home?" I asked Liberty, who had climbed into the back seat and was flipping through a magazine she had discovered, trying her best to stay awake. She nodded wordlessly and continued to flip through the pages. "You need a seatbelt, kiddo. Sit in the middle."

I clicked the lap belt into place and threw the car in gear, flooring it and finding my way onto the small-town road. We drove for almost an hour before we came to the outskirts of Lawrence. I pulled into a gas station and parked the car, and touched the wires together again to kill the motor. Using my shirt, I wiped down the steering wheel and all the other places I may have touched, leaving fingerprints behind, then I unbuckled Libby and carried her into the mini-mart and asked to use a phone.

The attendant pointed to the phone booth outside the mart and I took a quarter from the tray as I left the store, the bell dinging again behind us.

Shifting Lib to my hip, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, trying to picture Dean's phone number in my head. It had been so long since I called him using a phone other than my cell, I had a hard time remembering the number. I decided not to waste my quarter on risking dialing the wrong number, so I held the receiver to my ear and pushed the quarter into the slot. Dialing Serendipity's number automatically, I turned and stared out into the dim parking lot as I listened to the other end ring.

She was answering before it had a chance to ring a second time. "Grace?" She whispered into the phone.

"Yeah," I answered, breathing a sigh of relief at the sound of my sister's voice.

"Oh, thank God. Are you okay? Where the fuck are you?"

I turned back towards the interior of the phone booth and leaned my head on the glass. "At a gas station outside of Lawrence," I said, breathing a sigh of relief, the man momentarily forgotten. "Lib and I both got banished when Cas attacked Sam."

"You're together?" Serra asked. I could hear keys and a door closing in the background. I was sure Dean was already in motion to come and get us. "You're safe?" she continued.

I nodded, "Yeah, for the moment, we're okay. There's some pretty serious shit about to go down in Heaven, though. We've got a couple new players."

"Great," she grumbled. "Give me cross streets. Dean's already on his way. I'll text him."

Glancing around in my position at the telephone booth, I could see the name of one street, but not the other. "Uh," I started, squinting. "One is North 1250 Road, we just came off 59, heading north, so tell him to find the Arco and the McDonald's." I turned back towards the parking lot, scanning for other landmarks for Dean. The man that I had noticed earlier was closer now, still watching me with Liberty. "I'm pretty sure I've just been made," I said quietly.

Serra's voice was quiet. "Made?"

"There's a man watching me," I said quietly. "He's been in the parking lot since I left the Buick I stole." I turned again, putting my back in between the man and Liberty. Using the reflection in the glass of the booth, I continued to stare at the man in the suit. "He's wearing a suit," I continued. "I'm pretty sure he's an angel."

"On our side?"

"I don't think so." The phone beeped, warning that I had only thirty seconds of airtime left with Serra. "Luck, I've got thirty seconds left on the phone. If we're not here, tell him to check the restaurants and the church."

Fear and anger crept into my sister's voice. "Where is Cas?"

"He couldn't leave yet. The spell holds him in Heaven for three days."

"Shit. Go, Grace," Serra breathed. "Protect Lib."

Without another thought, I slammed down the phone and flung Liberty and myself across the grass of the stone church, one hundred yards away. I didn't even look back to check if the angel was following me or not. My only thought was to protect my daughter and get to the church.

We made it there in minutes and I allowed myself to turn around to check where the angel was. The back of my neck tingled and I knew he was close. "Lailah," I whispered. "If I give you control, will you protect Libby?"

 _I will._

I closed my eyes and allowed Lailah to take control of my body. She slammed into the door, intent on kicking it in, but it was unlocked, so she pushed Liberty through the threshold and told her to hide. Following directions as we had always trained her to do, Lib took off at a run and headed for the altar.

Lailah turned back towards the door and closed it behind her, taking a deep breath and extending her senses. I listened too; doing whatever I could to quiet my mind and learn from the angel that used my body as a vessel.

"She is an abomination," a voice cried out, "she will only slow you down."

Lailah remained silent, listening to the voice, attempting to recognize its owner.

"The nephilim should have never been allowed to live, Lailah, and yet, here you are, helping it to reproduce once again."

"She carries the Balance, Rahab," Lailah shouted, finally able to name the voice. "As she carried the Ambassadors." Lailah took another deep breath and I could almost see the molecules around me begin to shimmer. She closed her eyes and concentrated and formed what I could only assume was a protective bubble around Liberty and myself. "You have to understand that she is how the angels plan on surviving."

"Ouriel has already explained how we will survive," Rahab replied, pressing himself up against the door, trying to stare through the cracks. "We must ally with the demons if we are to outlive the humans."

"Do you hear yourself?" Lailah shouted. "Ally with demons? How can you even be entertaining this idea?"

"Because we have tried all the other options. We are losing Earth and we will lose Heaven as well, if we do not."

Lailah shook her head. "You expect to keep Heaven as our home with demons involved? Ouriel is over his head. He has no idea the damage he will cause. We will be outnumbered and when it comes down to it," Lailah paused and took a shaky breath, "Father will destroy us all."

"Not if we destroy Him first."

The more I listened to Lailah fill the church with my voice and her words, the more I wondered how deeply she actually believed what she was saying. It was almost as if she was saying what she knew she was required to say, but simply going through the act to keep us on the same side.

I shrugged it off, unable to split my focus. The air around us shook with tension and the walls of the church began to vibrate. My eyes were closed with Lailah concentrating as hard as she was and I had no idea where Liberty was. I was close to panic, knowing that Lailah was about to blast everything apart, but did what I could to stay contained. She promised that she would protect Liberty. I had to trust her.

There was an explosion towards the left of the heavy double doors and I felt Lailah shift her attention towards the altar where I knew Libby had run. She increased her focus and put more energy into protecting Liberty than she was protecting us. I smiled, despite the situation and pressed my palms together; harnessing energy I didn't know I had. Lailah flung my hands out, pushing a force towards Rahab, knocking out bricks and plaster. He rolled towards the grass, but was immediately on his feet, heading towards us again.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Sam

We were back in Emery's truck again and speeding through the night to drop me back off at my El Camino. I had come to the conclusion that Emery could be trusted, no matter the lies she had told in her past, and decided that the best way to protect my family from what could happen to this Stone was to do what Emery said.

Glancing towards her, I took a breath and asked, "Why didn't you ever come to find them?"

"Ouriel always told me that I had to stay hidden. I believe he was telling the truth at the time…he _was_ a good man. A good angel," she sighed. "Something changed when Liberty was born. He didn't accept that their Father had revealed himself to a nephilim before the rest of the angels. Ouriel was crazed with grief." She glanced at me with tears in her eyes. "He's the one who sent the Battalion after Grace. He is responsible for almost killing my girls."

I stared at her, torn between wanting to hear more but unwilling to hear the details. I set my jaw and pushed her on. "This angel, Ouriel. Did he know Crowley?"

She nodded. "Ouriel was the liaison between Heaven and Hell. There is a balance to everything, light dark, good, bad…Heaven, Hell. Ouriel was the one to ensure that conversations remained open," she said, shrugging. "He did well, until Liberty was born. He couldn't understand how a half blood could be allowed to exist. Grace is an exception to the rule. She is neither human nor angel and they work in absolutes. Liberty is even more of a problem because she is an Ambassador." The look on my face must have been one of confusion. "She and Glory will do the job Ouriel was unwilling to continue. They are Daughters of Heaven and Earth."

I shook my head. I was having a hard time wrapping my mind around how big this problem actually was. "So Ouriel wants to kill them?"

"Eventually, but that's not his immediate plan."

"What is?"

"Making Weapons of Heaven." Emery turned to stare at me. "My Serra is the only one that should be handling that Stone."

Furrowing my eyebrows, I whipped around to stare at Emery. "What are you talking about?"

"You don't know yet," Emery whispered, shaking her head. "I've known for so long, it's just how I see her now."

"Known what?"

Emery stopped her truck in the middle of the road, across from my El Camino. Putting it in park, she turned her entire body to face me. "Serendipity is a Warrior of Heaven. She and Grace have been paired since the beginning, a Daughter of Earth to protect a Daughter of Heaven." She took a deep breath and lowered her voice. "Serra's purpose is to fight. When Serra is paired with The Stone, she could be unstoppable."

I found myself shaking my head, unwilling to hear that my wife would be fighting a Holy War. "No, she's a mother. She can't leave Levi."

"With time, he will understand."

"I don't. She's human. She shouldn't have to get involved."

Emery licked her lips and folded her hands. "Serendipity became involved the minute she was born. All roads lead to this destination. She will fight, or Earth and Heaven will lose."

"What about Levi? What if she dies?"

"Levi will be protected as well," Emery said, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. "Being a Warrior of Heaven is genetic."

I stared at the woman in front of me and found myself shaking my head. "No," I said, not realizing I was speaking. "He's just a baby."

"She was too, once." Emery tilted her head sadly and stared at me. "I should know. I was there."

Anger took hold of my voice. "And then you left," I growled, clenching my jaw.

"To ensure that Grace became what she needed to become, that much from Ouriel was the truth," she turned back to face the steering wheel again. "If I had stayed, Grace would have become dependent on me. She would have never learned to extend her abilities or push her limits. That girl had to be on her own to embrace herself as she was intended to be."

"What about Serra? You left her behind, too."

Emery shook her head. "Where one is, the other is close behind," she declared, sounding like she had repeated the same thing, many times before. "Serra and Grace are a team. They had to stay together, experience the same things, and deal with the same consequences. It's what made them who they are." She took a deep breath and tried to look at me, but failed. "I know it was hard for them. It was the hardest thing I have ever had to endure, Sam, but I swear to you, it was for the good of humanity."

"Why should I give a shit about the good of humanity?"

She smiled at me sadly. "Because you are a part of it. If the Winchester and Browning lines fail, humanity as we know it will be lost."

"Why is it always us?"

Emery turned back towards the windshield and sighed heavily. "You and your family are chosen people, Sam Winchester. You've known that from the beginning. This is bigger than all of us."


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Dean

Idling up the street in the Impala with the headlights off, I glanced up at the sign and nodded to myself, knowing that I was on the right track, according to Serra's texts. I pulled into the gas station and glanced around with my window down. There was a Buick in the parking lot, right next to a phone booth, just as she described. As I parked and got out of the car, I closed the door as quietly as I could and walked around to the trunk, lifting the lid and loading my pockets with more bullets for my forty-five.

The street lights did a terrible job keeping the parking lot illuminated and the hair on the back of my neck lifted, sensing something I couldn't see in the darkness. I lowered the deck lid and crept towards the mini-mart of the store. It was dark, but maybe Grace had found refuge inside. I did a lap around the store and saw nothing that pointed me in the right direction. Frustrated, I listened for movement and made my way back to my car. The dining room of the McDonald's across the street was dark as well, and there was no other restaurant that I could see. Turning in a complete three-sixty, I made note of the church that was about a hundred yards away and when nothing else caught my attention, I jogged towards it, my gun drawn, listening.

As I approached the old, stone chapel, I could see drywall and bricks littered around the heavy wooden doors. There had been a fight here. "Grace!" I whispered as loud as I felt comfortable. If she was close, I knew she would be able to hear me. "Liberty!"

There was movement inside the church. I turned my head to listen and took a step over the door's threshold. The heavy wooden door had been taken right off of its hinges and it was hanging on by just the lock in the center of the double entrance. The entry way was littered with more drywall dust and wooden splinters from the fight. I did my best to stay calm as I walked, still listening to movement. "Grace!" I whispered again, moving towards the center of the church. "Gracie!"

Another sound echoed through the narthex of the church and I whipped around to see my daughter standing at the top of the steps, near the altar. "Lib," I breathed, running towards her. She rubbed her face and I wrapped my arms around her, breathing her in. "Libby, baby, are you okay? Where's Momma?"

Liberty had been crying. Snot dripped from her nose and the curls from her pigtails were plastered to her face with tears. "Waywuh," she said quietly. "Waywuh gone."

"Lailah is gone?" My heart pounded in my chest as I stood, carrying Liberty against my chest and my gun still in my other hand. "Was Lailah hanging out in Mom's body again?"

Rubbing her face in the shoulder of my jacket, Liberty murmured her reply. "Yes," she said quietly. "Told me hiding."

"She told you to hide?"

Lib nodded into my shoulder. I took a deep breath and circled the church, still clutching my daughter. I pulled my phone out from my pocket after I stashed my gun in the waistband of my jeans and dialed Serra's number.

"Did you find them?" she answered, not allowing the phone to complete a ring.

"I've got Lib. She's okay," I breathed, clenching my jaw. "Grace ain't here. There's signs of a struggle." I glanced at my girl again and smiled weakly, trying to reassure her. "Lib said that Lailah was here."

"What? Grace told her not to take control anymore," Serra said, standing and pacing around the living room. "Why was she there?"

"I don't know," I answered, heading out the back of the narthex and into the grounds of the churchyard. "I'm gonna have Lib show me what happened. See if I can figure anything else out. Sam back yet?"

Shaking her head, Serra replied, "No. He better have found something good enough to validate the fact that I haven't heard from him in over four hours."

"I'll call you back." I said, hanging up the phone. I sat on a stone bench with Liberty and turned her so that she was facing me. "Hi baby," I began softly, knowing she was about five minutes from passing out completely from exhaustion. "Will you show me what happened?"

Her green eyes were almost closed already, but she lifted her hands to my face and leaned towards me, showing me what she could see from her position under the altar in the front of the church.

 _Lailah shook her head. "You expect to keep Heaven as our home with demons involved? Ouriel is over his head. He has no idea the damage he will cause. We will be outnumbered and when it comes down to it," Lailah paused and took a shaky breath, "Father will destroy us all."_

 _"_ _Not if we destroy Him first."_

 _There was an explosion of rocks and glass as a man came through the doors, now falling off their hinges. The man headed straight for Lailah and picked her bodily off the ground, shaking her out of frustration._

 _"_ _Do you see now? Do you see what you will end up sacrificing for no reason?" he screamed as he raised his palm towards the altar. The air around Liberty seemed to vibrate and Lib closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. The explosion blasted the rest of the church wall apart, but did no damage to the altar whatsoever. Libby let go of the breath she had been holding and tried to peek through the crack in the wood, looking for her mother or Lailah._

 _They were both gone._

The vision ended and Dean once again, was staring at his firstborn. "Okay, kiddo," he whispered, holding her close. "She's okay. Momma is okay."

Tears came to my eyes as I pictured the man shaking my wife's body. Even though it was Lailah controlling her movements, I could see the look of determination spread across Grace's face. I knew, just from that look, that she had been the one to throw the shield around Liberty, protecting our daughter from whatever curse the angel had tried to use on her.

I felt Liberty go limp, finally giving into unconsciousness and stood, cradling her as I had so many times before. I wiped my face with the back of my hand, getting my shit together, and pulled the gun from my pants. Walking back out into the grassy area in front of the church, I set my jaw and mentally challenged anything to try and stop me from getting my kid back home.

 _Try it, assholes. See what happens._

 _…_

I had complained at the time, but now I was grateful that Grace made me strap at least one car seat into the back of the Impala. Libby fell asleep immediately, once strapped into her seat and I closed the door gently as I pulled out my phone again.

On the first ring, Serra answered once more. "Find Grace?"

I was shaking my head as I looked around. "No," I said, rubbing my face. "Lib showed me the fight. Lailah was in control, but then some huge dick picked her up from the ground and shook her." I leaned on the roof of my car and sighed heavily. "Fuck, this is just you two getting taken all over again. I don't even know where to start looking. What did she tell you on the phone about the angel?"

"Nothing except the usual," Serra said, pacing around again. "Said that there was a guy in a suit, thought he was an angel. I asked if he was on our side and she said that she didn't think so." Serra sighed and searched for the words. "I told her to go and protect Lib."

I shook my head. "Well, she did that. Lib showed me that she hid in the altar." Taking a deep breath, I tried my best not to let the emotion of having my pregnant wife missing again. The same situation seemed to keep happening and I still wasn't any better at knowing where to start. "The angel blasted in the side of the church, calling Grace an abomination."

"Like that's new," Serra growled.

"Yeah, I know," I replied, continuing. "He fought with Lailah a couple of minutes and I think towards the end of the fight, Grace got control back. Watching through Lib's eyes, I can see Grace come back and throw some kind of bubble around her. Whatever that asshole used to try and attack the Meatloaf, Grace was able to protect her from her place in the church."

Serra chuckled slightly under her breath. "Sounds like Gracie's learning some new tricks."

"So it would seem," I answered, nodding slightly. I glanced around in the darkness and popped my neck. "I'm on my way back with Lib. If Sam calls you or comes home, keep him there. We're going angel hunting."

"Will do," she said. "ETA?"

"I'm about an hour from the Big House." Walking around the side of the Impala to let myself in, I started her up and threw her into drive.

"I'm timing you. Take care of my niece."

Locking my jaw, I nodded. "Yeah," I said, hanging up the phone. I glanced in the rear view mirror and took a deep breath, watching my daughter breathe in the back seat of my car. "Yeah," I repeated, peeling out and taking off down the street.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Grace

I really need to start wearing a bra all the time, just to be prepared for anything. I was tired and itchy and I'm pretty sure that I was hiding in a bush that was poisonous. I wasn't sure how I did it, but I managed to smite the angel that attacked Liberty and me. I don't think I even had direct contact with his forehead, but maybe I was just so tuned up that it didn't matter. Either way, he's gone and I'm hiding in the bushes down the street from the church.

My goal was to get the angel away from Liberty. I left her hiding in the altar and Lailah helped me throw a protective bubble around her. The only way that that bubble would break is if she felt completely safe, meaning Dean had shown up. I listened to my daughter's thoughts and was relieved when I heard her recognize Dean's voice. Now, if only I could throw my thoughts into Dean's head the same way I could with Serra...that would make life so much easier.

I crept to the edge of the gardens, just outside of the church and took a couple of deep breaths. Lailah had given me back the control of my body, so I moved silently on my own and it occurred to me that I hadn't felt nauseous since that morning and tilted my head, pleased that adrenaline had not let me down. Spending the almost six weeks in Hell while I was pregnant with Glory and Everett had made my body into a hyped-up adrenaline junkie, knowing that the babies had kept me regenerating whenever it was damaged. Now, I had a full-blown angel on my side, not letting my injuries last long enough to hurt.

Coming towards the edge of the bushes, I caught sight of the Impala, but I had no idea where Dean was. I went around the backside of the church to make sure no one was following my husband and daughter and when I was satisfied that they were safe, I attempted to jog towards the car.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see a brand new Chevy Suburban with its headlights off behind the church. There were three figures in it, all dressed in suits and ties and I knew, just by the glance, that they were angels, waiting for me to show myself. Ducking back into the garden, I ran parallel to the buildings and tried to make it to the end of the street before Dean could drive away without me.

I watched through the trees as he loaded Libby into the back; planting her into the car seat that I smugly remembered making him strap into the Impala. He raised his phone to talk to someone and I watched the angels prepare to follow him.

Climbing into the Impala, he hung up the phone and I took another step through the bushes, completely barefoot. Dean started the engine and threw it in drive, peeling out as he took off, away from the curb. As soon as I was in a clearing against the building, I threw caution to the wind and sprinted towards the stop sign at the end of the street. If I didn't hurry, I would be left here to deal with the angels in the Suburban by myself.

Running as fast as I could, stepping on my share of painfully sharp objects, I hit the open lawn at full speed, almost even with the Impala.

"Dean!" I screamed, leaping towards the intersection. "Dean! Stop, wait!"

He slammed on his brakes and skidded to a stop, knowing he heard my voice, but not seeing where I was coming from. I hurried towards the passenger door and slammed my hand against the window as I could see the Suburban begin to roll towards us. Reaching across the bench, he unlocked the door and I threw myself into the passenger seat.

"Grace!" he yelled, reaching over to me to hug me.

I pushed him off. "Go, go, go. We've got a tail," I glanced behind me to see the Suburban creeping towards the Impala. Dean whipped around to see the truck behind us and crushed the pedal to the floor. I peeked behind me to see Libby safely strapped into her seat, almost snoring and turned back to my husband. "Holy shit, I'm glad I caught you."

Dean stared at me and I knew that he was evaluating if I was hurt. Still shaking off the surprise of my appearance, he shook his head in disbelief as he turned the corner. "Jesus. Are you okay? Where were you?"

"Out in the gardens, behind the church," I answered, breathing hard. "I took that other one out somehow and he disappeared, but now I'm wondering if he tricked me into thinking that I did." I stared into the rear view mirror to watch the Suburban turn the corner with us. "How are we going to play this?"

Shaking his head once more, he gripped the wheel. "I don't know. It's harder with her in the back," he gestured towards Liberty and set his jaw, pushing the Impala faster and faster as we merged onto the almost deserted freeway.

"What do we have in here that we can use?" I stared at my husband, still trying to catch my breath.

Dean lifted his eyebrows at me as he jumped another two lanes, getting ready to switch freeways. He shrugged, "You."

I stared at my husband. It would be the first time I used the true force of my angelic abilities purposely in front of him. I didn't know how he would react, so I felt myself hesitate.

"Grace, you and I both know that we've got nothing else that can protect her from them. My forty-five ain't gonna do shit." Dean's eyes pleaded with me as he said, "Show me what you got, baby."

I nodded and rolled the passenger side window of the Impala down and pulled myself into a sitting position on the window frame, my legs holding onto the edge of the seat. My hair whipped around me as I focused my energy on the Suburban that sped towards us. Closing my eyes and facing the truck, I rubbed my palms together, picturing the engine of the SUV. Palms out, I pushed as hard as I could towards the truck and I felt the heat as the shockwave from the explosion echoed through the air.

Both of the front tires of the Suburban exploded as my force hit its front end. The hood ripped off in midair and the entire truck caught on fire. The angels inside the vehicle disappeared before the truck landed, rolling three times in the air; end over end. I turned forward, looking for any sign that they were still in pursuit. I listened to the wind whip around me and heard nothing but Dean and Liberty. Finally satisfied that we were, for the moment, as safe as we could be, I pulled myself down from the window ledge and sat next to Dean once more.

He shook his head and glanced at me. "Remind me to never really piss you off," he murmured. Reaching for my hand, Dean sighed and continued to speed through the darkness.

…

We got back to the Big House in less than fifty minutes. Dean reached in to pull a very sleepy Liberty from her car seat and I shut the door behind him. Following me up the porch steps, he took a breath. "So this asshole Ouriel is the one that thinks he's taking over Heaven _and_ Hell? How does he think he's going to pull that off?"

Trudging up the steps, I held my hair away from my back and over my shoulder. Despite the chill of autumn, I was burning up. "I don't have a clue, but he seems bent on killing anyone that's in the way." I held open the screen door for Dean and Liberty and took a breath, lowering my voice. "He seemed to know who I was, which was weird."

"Grace, you're the only nephilim in the world and you're married to me," he chuckled, trying to unlock the door with his key, "I'd be surprised if he _didn't_ know you." The front door whipped open, blowing a gust of air into Dean and Liberty's faces.

Serendipity's mouth was agape as she opened the door. "Holy _shit,_ " she gasped, taking Liberty from Dean without invitation. "Is she okay?"

"I think so. She's just exhausted," Dean answered quietly.

I walked in behind Dean and Serra stood, watching me. As I got close enough, she smacked the back of my arm. "Where the _hell_ have you been? I have been about ready to puke all fucking day."

"You _banished_ me," I said, rubbing my arm. "I was walking through the Gardens of Heaven for about six hours, lugging her around." Serra still looked like she was ready to kill something, so I just stood and stared at her. Shaking my head and taking a breath, I said, "It's good to see you, too."

Dean smiled lightly and rubbed his face. "Okay, that's enough for tonight. Where the hell is Sam?"

"He checked in about twenty minutes ago. Said he was close to home," Serra answered without looking up. She nuzzled Liberty's hair and walked her towards the couch, laying her down gently.

"I need a shower," I said, pulling at my tank top. "I feel like I've been in these clothes for about a week."

Dean nodded and smiled lightly. I could hear him thinking about how grateful he was that he found me alive and well. I watched his green eyes flick to my abdomen and back up to my face and he smiled again. Nodding, I reassured him that everyone was fine. Sighing, he plopped down into the chair and leaned his head on the cushion. "Kids okay, Luck?" he asked, his eyes closing.

"Yeah, they're all asleep in your old bedroom," she answered, following me to the steps. "I left them in the pile they were in earlier.

I stripped as soon as I was in the upstairs hall, leaving a trail of clothes that led to the hall bathroom. Turning towards my sister, I asked, "Will you go ninja into the room and get me fresh clothes?"

She nodded and continued into the bedroom. I started the water and waited for it to warm, listening to my kids dream. All of their internal voices were accounted for and I was happy to finally be home.

…

Ten minutes later, I stepped out of the shower and pulled on the new set of boxers and tank that Serra had retrieved for me. I padded silently down the hall towards our old bedroom and pushed the door open ever so slightly. Everett and Glory's outlines were easy to identify, but I couldn't immediately see Levi's head from where I stood. I knew, just from past experience, that Serra loved to burrow in her blankets and was learning that her son enjoyed doing the same thing. I took a step into the room and smiled when I found his toes hanging out from the comforter that was piled in the middle of the floor.

Jogging down stairs, I could hear Serra and Dean discussing the newest players from the new drama in our lives.

"This guy Ouriel seems like a real jerk," Serra was saying, shaking her head. "What do the other angels think about this asshole?"

Dean shrugged as I sat on the arm of the chair he was in. He unconsciously wrapped his arm around my hip and I leaned into him, comforted by the fact that he was again so close. I took a breath and pulled my hair up into a bun on the top of my head. "I don't know. They seemed to be socializing with him; almost like a party," I explained. "There was a huge room full of angels towards the portal. They all were just hanging out, but they seemed a little afraid of him." I glanced down at Dean. "They were really quiet when he spoke."

"But he knew you?" Serra pressed. "And Dean?"

I nodded. "Yeah," I continued, "he called me 'nephilim' and kept referring to Dean as 'Michael's Marked Vessel'."

"Judgy," Dean said under his breath.

I could hear Sam's thoughts finally come into my range and smiled at my sister. "Sam's coming," I said quietly listening. "There's someone with him."

"Who?" Serra asked, sitting up slightly.

I could feel myself staring off into the distance, trying to concentrate on the new voice. She seemed familiar, but I couldn't place when or where I might have heard her before. "I don't know," I said, shaking my head. "Another new player?"

The El Camino came to a stop in our gravel driveway and I stood, drawn to the new voice. I felt Dean's mood shift, his attention coming back into protection mode. Serra stood next to me and as I focused on the front door, waiting for it to open, I could tell my sister was watching me.

Sam used his key to unlock our front door. I heard Serra's mood elevate, seeing her husband safely returning, all in one piece, but I continued to stare, trying my hardest to place the internal monologue I could hear.

Sam stopped in the doorframe, holding up his hands. "Hey, it's me," he said, making sure that no one fired on him. "What's the matter?"

Serra took a breath to answer, but I interrupted her, "Who is that, Sam?" I asked; my breath short and my adrenaline kicking in.

"She's a friend. I think we can trust her," he answered quietly, his hands still out submissively.

"Sam," I demanded. "Who the fuck is that?"

He stepped forward into the living room and seemed to take a deep breath, "Grace, Serra…now, just hear her out."

"Hear who out?" Serra almost shouted, making herself known.

I ignored her as Sam took another step forward, revealing the small woman behind him. My hearing went first, the world around me going completely silent. Then my legs failed, sending me to my knees and crashing to the floor, shock washing through my entire body. There she was, standing in front of me as if I hadn't salted and burned her body over a decade ago.

Emery was living and breathing and Sam brought her home.

Dean was bending towards me, saying things that I couldn't understand. Serra was frozen in place, watching her husband move towards her with his hands out. I did everything I could to comprehend how it was possible, but I had no answers.

The woman Sam called Emery walked towards me slowly, moving her mouth, but I couldn't hear her. I stared at her, struggling to remember her features…she was the same, just aged. Her hair had stripes of gray and it was pulled back into a loose pony tail at the nape of her neck. She wore glasses now and the lines on her face were more pronounced. She looked worn, but still strong.

Serra was the first to react. She strode up to her and stared into her eyes, searching the hazel flecks for truth. "How can it be you?" she whispered, a single tear escaping her eyes. "We saw you on the floor. You were cold." Shaking her head and setting her jaw, she murmured, "We burned your corpse."

Emery smiled sadly and nodded her head. "You burned a corpse."

"No, we burned you. How did we burn you?" Serra was insistent and knelt to help me back up. "She's not her, right, Grace? She's…she's an imposter or something?"

I was finally able to respond but all I could do was shake my head. Dean touched my shoulder, holding me steady and I took a deep breath, trying to keep my senses about me.

Serra turned back towards Emery, taking a step towards her. Sam stepped in her path, afraid of what she might do. "Serra, wait," he said quietly, putting his hands on her shoulders. "Let her explain."

"Explain?" Serra shouted, pushing past Sam. "Explain what? How you _abandoned_ us as soon as Dad was killed? How you have been assumed dead for the past twelve years?" Tears fell from Serra's eyes freely now and she struggled to get closer to Emery. "You left us. You left us alone."

"Serra," Emery's voice pierced the air with the same finality in her tone that she always used to get our attention. "I know you must be pissed."

"Pissed isn't a strong enough word," Serra spat, Sam holding her back and Dean moving to join Sam to block her path.

Emery continued as if Serra hadn't spoken, "You have to listen and understand why I agreed to it." She took a breath and I shook my head, still staring at the woman that left us to fend for ourselves, still mostly in our teens. "Please, Grace," she said, appealing only to me, knowing that if I listened, Serra would follow. "Please listen to me before you throw me out, or kill me."

I said nothing, but took a step forward, extending my hand. At first, she seemed confused, but then, looking down at my fingers, she reached out to make contact. I closed my eyes to watch the last ten years flash across her memory.

I have no idea how long the exchange took, but letting go of her hand, I stared into Emery's face and I couldn't help the tears that flooded my eyes. My voice was barely loud enough for anyone else to hear, but I said, "All because of me?"

She nodded, finally relaxing enough to take a deep, shaky breath. "You had to be alone. You had to learn how to be you." Em glanced at Serra, who was still gritting her teeth and fighting back hot, angry tears. "You had to come to realize your potential without me. I would have slowed the process and you would have never met him," she explained quietly, gesturing at Dean. "You had to find him to have them," she continued, pointing to Liberty, still asleep on the couch. "We're about to go to war with Heaven and Hell and when they're old enough, they'll balance life back out. For now," she said, taking a breath, "you girls and your husbands are about the only defense we have against Ouriel and his followers."

"No pressure," I whispered, wiping my face.

Serendipity glanced at me and I reached out my hand, pushing the memories I had seen in Emery's mind towards my sister. She gasped as the thoughts flooded in, her hazel eyes staring off into space as she watched the truth fly by. A few minutes later, I let go of her hand and watched her mood shift from anger to disbelief. "Em," she whispered, reaching for her.

Without hesitating, Emery opened her arms for my little sister and wrapped her in a hug. It was like nothing had changed; no time had passed. I glanced up at Dean, who gripped my hand tightly and smiled. My mind spun and my emotions were all over the place, but our Emery was home.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Serra

There aren't words for the feelings I had, seeing Emery again. We had been sitting at the dining room table for the last three hours drilling her on where she had been and who she had been with. We found that she split her time between Heaven and Earth over the last twelve years and that she and Mom had been looking out for us from afar. I shook my head in disgust when Emery had described falling in love with the angel Ouriel and how she felt so betrayed when he began to reveal his long-term plan. Grace had given me the basics from Emery's memories: Ouriel had come to her right after Dad was killed and explained that if she remained in our lives, we would end up growing dependent on her, and Grace and I would never have grown to realize our potentials, meaning she and Dean would have never met, meaning Sam and I would have never met, and the kids would have never been born. Emery explained to her that it was for the good of humanity that she and the angels fake her death.

I hadn't said much over the last few hours, but I sat and stared at her, my arms crossed over my chest and occasionally spinning the four-inch switchblade that I carried on the table. Sam and Dean both watched me carefully, knowing that I would most likely be the one to lose my shit and come across the table at Emery, trying to put her back where I knew she should be.

Grace was leaning forward on the table, supporting herself with her arms, looking completely exhausted. I realized that she probably hadn't eaten anything all day, considering, and now that it was approaching three in the morning, I stood to get her a package of crackers and some peanut butter.

I could feel Sam's eyes on me as I moved to get my sister the snack and as I set them down in front of her, she glanced up at me, grateful. I stayed where I was, my hands resting on the back of her chair as she continued the question and answer session with Emery.

"So, the million dollar question," Grace said, taking a bite.

Emery nodded and tilted her head, her eyes flicking up to mine and then back at Grace.

"Why did you wait this long to come to us?" she asked, in the midst of her chewing. "Lib was born over three years ago. I mean, if you couldn't get in the way of Dean and I completing whatever destiny we needed to, Liberty was pretty much sealing the deal, right?"

Leaning back in her chair, Emery was shaking her head. "No," she said quietly. "Some of the angels told me over and over that I needed to stay away until Dean and Grace had four. That way I wouldn't interfere with anything."

"Four?" Grace asked, raising her eyebrows. "I'm still pregnant. Number four isn't here yet."

Emery looked confused. "No," she said, shaking her head. She pointed to the steps, "When the angels showed me the kids, there were four. Libby and the three babies."

"That's Levi," Grace said, the pitch of her voice elevating slightly. "He's Serra and Sam's. We only have three…Lib, Glory and Everett. I'm pregnant with our fourth." I felt Dean shift next to me, leaning towards Emery. I knew that he was preparing to enter fight or flight. Grace glanced at him and back to her.

Shaking her head in confusion and denial, Emery stared at the tablecloth. "No, they said 'the nephilim must bare four before you again become a part of their family'."

"What the hell does that mean?" I asked; my voice firm and demanding. "Are you putting Grace or the baby in danger, just by being here?"

Emery was standing from the table, pushing her chair back suddenly as she did so. "They lied to me," she said quietly. "They all lied to me."

Grace was standing now as well, her crackers and peanut butter forgotten. "Who?"

"The other angels," Emery continued. "It's the only reason I went to Sam. They said that the Destiny was secured."

Dean watched the interaction silently, still in his chair. His face didn't show the concern I knew he was feeling, but his body language did. He was tense and as he exchanged a look with Sammy, they were up and moving together, bringing our stores of weapons out onto the table.

"Wait," Grace said quietly. She had her eyes closed and she was concentrating on something that we couldn't hear or see. We all froze in place, waiting for my sister to explain herself.

I got impatient quickly, touching her shoulder to get her attention. "What?" I asked, shaking my head. "Spit it out."

"It was all on purpose. The set up," she spoke in fragments, the way she used to after she witnessed a vision of the future, back when things were simple. "Ouriel was thinking about it in Heaven…I caught snippets of it on Angel Radio, but he's doing a good job of keeping his play quiet." She lowered her jaw, biting the inside of her cheek; one of the only tells Grace had. She was pissed.

"Give it up," I demanded. "What's the endgame?"

"Everett. Everett is his plan," she said quietly.

Dean was standing next to Grace, then, his body shifting to face her. He bent slightly, trying to see Grace's face. "How is he the plan?"

She stared at Dean and took a breath. "Ouriel knows that I'm carrying Everett's fix. His plan was to lure us out with Emery to kill me. Then he thinks he'll be able to use Everett as sort of an ambassador between Heaven and Hell."

Emery was nodding at Grace, knowing that somehow, that was the truth. "I knew Ouriel was lying to me. I just had no idea how long it's been happening," Emery whispered. "I started to get suspicious about four years ago, give or take."

"What gave him away?" I asked, stepping next to my sister protectively.

Emery looked down at the table. "He told me that I should be happy for you two: you were about to find one another."

Dean finally spoke, his curiosity getting the best of him. "How did that tip you off?"

Glancing at him with tears shimmering in her eyes, she begged forgiveness. Shaking her head slowly, she said, "I didn't understand why he was taking note of you girls…he never seemed that interested. For him to bring you two up without me…I knew there was something else...something he wasn't telling me." A tear dripped down her cheek and she wiped it away quickly. "I'm so sorry I didn't notice sooner. I'm sorry I didn't tell you…I could have figured out something. I could have told Lucia. Or Castiel."

I knew that Grace had forgiven Emery for everything the moment after she let her hand go, right after the communication of memories, but seeing the look of anger and betrayal seep into the lines on her face, I knew that Grace was the one that Emery should be worried about. Dean stepped closer to his wife, book-ending her next to me. He was preparing for Grace's anger to boil over.

"Grace," he whispered, "hold it together. I don't want to lose the house."

She ignored him. "Ouriel used you to pull us out into the open. We're completely vulnerable." Her eyes went wide as she put more of the pieces together in her head." She gasped, "He didn't lose or steal The Weapons Stone. He planted it…he knew that it would get back to us and that you would be drawn out." Grace turned to stare at me, "Where did you put it?"

"In the panic room," I answered, staring back at her, trying to read her. I glanced up at Dean from over Grace's shoulder. He looked terrified.

"I would bet the house that you will be able to use that Stone," Grace whispered, staring up at me.

"What?" I asked, confusion flooding back into my brain. "Use it how?"

She smiled ironically. "Awhile ago, I found out how the angels refer to you," she said quietly, chancing a glance at Dean, who obviously already knew what she was about to share.

Stepping around the table, I made a face. "What, as 'The Nephilim's Useless Human Sister'?"

Grace was shaking her head and smiling lightly, despite the gravity of the situation. "Hardly useless," she said. "Lailah referred to you as a Watcher."

"Didn't you call Mom a 'Watcher' after you went to get Sam?" I asked, glancing at my husband. "What does that even mean?"

"It means that you are a Warrior of Heaven. Your job," she continued, "is to protect me and the kids."

I listened to my sister, waiting for her to laugh or grin, giving her joke away. She narrowed her eyes, still staring at me and lifted her eyebrows expectantly. Turning to the boys, I waited for them to crack as well, but they remained stoic. "A Warrior of Heaven," I repeated, looking back towards my sister. "That's the phrase she used."

Grace pressed her lips together and nodded slowly.

"I'm a Warrior of fucking Heaven?"

She nodded, smiling lightly.

Turning to Sam, I felt my face light up. "I am a Warrior of fucking Heaven!" I shouted, slamming my hand down on the table. "Finally! A title I can get on board with."

Grace was shaking her head and smiling at me. She turned back to Emery and tilted her head. "Wouldn't she be able to control The Stone?" she asked, pointing at me. "It would work for her because the Weapons of Heaven are for the Watchers, right?"

Emery shrugged. "In theory, but she's not a Daughter of Heaven. I'm not sure how it would respond to her without and angel present."

"As soon as Cas gets back, we can have him fill us in," Dean said, rubbing his face. "But for now, can't we go to bed? Grace is exhausted. I'm exhausted."

"I think she just got her second wind," Sam said, gesturing to me. I was still standing and grinning from behind Grace.

"That's because I'm a Warrior of Fucking Heaven."

Sam stared at me, emotionless. "Are you going to say it like that every time?"

"Yeah. You got a problem with that?"

He took a deep breath and shook his head, sighing. "No," he said, chuckling. "Come on Warrior. Let's get you home so they can get some sleep."

"Wait," Grace said quietly. "If Ouriel lied to Emery about the fact that we had four kids, where does that put us on safety? Is he coming after us? What's going to happen?"

"You want us to stay together?" I asked, knowing my sister's plan.

She glanced up at me and tilted her head. "I think it's better than having us separated. I mean, without Cas or Lucia here, I feel like we're out numbered."

"You're carrying Lailah around. That should be okay, right?"

"I don't know, Serra. I mean," Grace glanced at Dean, "he's a new kind of asshole. It seems like we might need some reinforcements until we can get the others here."

"Alright, alright," I said, rubbing my face. "We'll stay in the apartment downstairs with The Stone." I grinned and waggled my eyebrows. "My Stone."

"The kids are still upstairs," Dean said. "Just leave them there. Should we try and break in our new room?"

Nodding, Grace shrugged. "Yeah, I mean, I don't really care where I go. I'm so tired, I'd sleep on the floor."

"Alright. Emery," Dean started, glancing at her. "No offense, but I don't know you. I don't know if I trust you yet and honestly, I don't want you near my kids. So," he glanced at me and I knew he was asking permission. I nodded as he continued. "So you can stay at Sam and Serra's across the way or you can sleep in the barn. But you can't stay here."

Emery nodded slowly, "I understand. I'll go out into the barn."

"Thank you," he replied, standing from the table.

Finding our own places to get comfortable, I was asleep before my head hit the pillow, Sam warm beside me. I had restless dreams that night, of angels with swords and knives, attacking Grace and I couldn't do anything to help her.

The Stone glowed next to me, silently waiting for its chance to be put to good use.

...

Before we knew it, the twins were a year old and Liberty was three. Levi's birthday came and went as well and I was ignoring my tears as Sam helped my baby boy blow out the candle of his birthday cupcake, with our family looking on.

Emery had regained my trust; doing everything she could to be as honest as possible. Jody had accepted Emery as well and when we celebrated Levi's birthday, we sat around and enjoyed burgers and hot dogs together, as the family I always pictured. Lucia and Cas had joined us as well, sitting together awkwardly, pretending to eat.

Grace was beginning to show, her belly rounding out under her Guns 'N Roses tee shirt. We hadn't seen any more of Lailah, but that was to be expected, considering it was part of the deal that she remain mostly hidden.

Castiel had gotten control of his desire to touch The Weapons Stone, but we still kept it locked up in the panic room, just in case. He had begun to teach me how and when it would work for me, regardless of there being an angel to help. I had full power over it and when I touched it, it would glow blue and produce a liquid metal that would take the shape of any weapon I chose, using molds and sand because I was a Warrior of Fucking Heaven. I had started with small knives, just to practice and lately I had moved on to a blade more reminiscent of the traditional angel blades that they all seemed to carry.

I watched Dean hover around Grace constantly, making sure that she was comfortable and that she had what she needed. I hated to admit it, but they were fucking adorable when they were together, touching hands tenderly and falling even deeper in love.

Everett was at her side as well, touching her belly and calling it his 'sistoe' when he cuddled. He hadn't had another tantrum since Grace had gotten pregnant and we knew that the baby Grace carried would be the fix that Everett needed in order to survive with his genetic Mark of Cain.

Standing in the kitchen barefoot one morning about a week before Christmas, Grace was washing dishes. I came over to drop Levi off before work and Dean was making breakfast for the kids.

"Hey, guys," I greeted, letting Levi's bag drop to the floor in the kitchen. "I got one more day before vacation, then the other nurses can suck it. I'm out."

Dean chuckled from his place near the stove. "At least you have vacation time you can take."

"Don't give me that shit," I said, taking a piece of toast from the top of the pile. "You're closing the shop for two weeks. That's a vacation, right?"

He shrugged, glancing back at Grace. "I suppose, but we're losing two weeks of income," he explained. The body shop that my brother-in-law owned finally had its legs under it and they were turning quite a nice little profit. "It'll be nice to be home for Christmas, though."

Grace nodded from the sink. She turned and grinned at me, "Breakfast here and dinner over at your place?"

I was shaking my head with my mouth full of toast. "There's not enough room over at our place for all of us," I said, licking my fingers. "Not if Em, Jody, Cas and Lucia all come too."

"That's true," she said, wiping her hands on the towel and walking towards me. I rubbed her belly as she got close. "Okay, so bring food and we'll hang out here all day. It's supposed to snow."

"I know," I said, grinning. "First White Christmas we've had in awhile." I shoved the last piece of toast in my mouth and hugged Lib and Glory, then I walked towards Everett, who was doing his best to follow Grace around. "Okay, kids. Treat your mother well. Levi, be good. Love you."

Shutting the door behind me, the back of my neck tingled from the chill in the air. I glanced around, climbed into my truck, and headed off to the hospital.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Dean

Every morning, I woke up and prepared myself for the battle I knew was coming. The angels following Ouriel were gunning for us, I knew it, but I had no idea when it would happen. I also knew that life around us couldn't stop; I had a shop to run, kids to raise, and food to put on the table. Grace was handling it all well, as I knew she would, but as her belly began to round and I could see the evidence of my daughter within her, the familiar knot in the pit of my stomach returned. I worried about keeping her safe with every breath I took.

Christmas would be here soon and I knew that it would be the most opportune time for the angels to finally come out of hiding. We would let our guard down, or at least they thought we would. Serra and I had taken up a habit of rotating shifts. I would get up twice a night to check the house and the property for anything out of routine or out of place. She would usually do the same, but Sam was a much lighter sleeper than Grace was and he was clumsy at night, tripping on boots or socks, consequently waking Levi up in the process.

The weapons that Serra had created basically out of nothing were absolutely fascinating and we had them hidden all around the house, not knowing when we would need them. I carried two blades at all times, one in my ankle holster and one in the Impala, just in case. We would not be caught unaware.

One night as I lay awake, listening to the sounds of our old farmhouse, I turned to watch Grace sleep. Normally a stomach sleeper, she got as close as she could these days by turning onto her side and bringing her leg up to trick herself into thinking she was on her belly. I smiled lightly, reaching out to touch her stomach: my newest daughter. I replayed the conversation we had earlier during dinner in my head.

"You were talking that you were going to name her Faith," Serra said, taking a beer from the fridge and opening it. "I thought you settled on another virtue name?"

"Yeah, we did," Grace answered, pouring a glass of water for herself. "But nothing goes with Faith. We tried Mary, and that just sounds stupid."

Sam laughed from the corner of the table, cleaning up the mess Levi and Everett made with their crackers and broccoli. "What if you changed it a bit? Faith Marie?"

I shook my head. "Then it's not Mom's name anymore. There's no point."

"Just come up with a name you like that has more than two syllables. It doesn't have to be a family name, does it?" Serra sat next to Grace, leaning her head on her belly to listen. "I mean, you're on number four. You're kinda out of immediate family members."

I shook my head, chuckling, and sat on Grace's other side, absentmindedly stroking Johnny's black fur. He had taken to me lately, which was new. He and Lib still had a bond that was infallible, but lately, because Lib had started hanging out with me more in the shop and out in our barn, working on the cars, Johnny had fallen into a habit of haunting around us while we were together.

"What about Emery?" I asked quietly. The girls both turned towards me, staring with their mouths hanging open. I backpedalled. "Or, I mean, not. Sorry I brought it up."

After a moment, Grace tilted her head. "I like it. Faith Emery Winchester."

I shrugged, nodding my head. "I like it too. I just don't really know how it will go over. I mean, a lot has changed in the last few months."

Turning to look at her sister, Grace sat back against the cushions. "Is it too weird, Lucky? I mean, she was basically our mother."

Serra was silent as she stood from the couch, pacing around. I did what I could to avoid the look in Serra's eyes. When she paced around like that, it scared me. She was unpredictable.

When she finally paused long enough to stop and stare at Grace, she smiled weakly. Her hazel eyes glistened in the dim light of the living room and she wiped her face quickly before anyone had time to notice. "Yeah, I like it." Turning on her heel, she grabbed her twin silver-on-black engraved forty-fives and headed out the door, into the cold. "I'm gonna go shoot something."

The door slammed behind her and Grace started to laugh. "She loves it," she said, still chuckling. "She's trying really hard to stay mad at Em, but it's not working."

"It's gotta be weird, having her around again."

Grace nodded, resting her hands on her rounded stomach. "It was at first, but now, it feels like it did before. It's comfortable."

I put my arm around Grace's shoulders and she leaned into me. "Faith Emery Winchester. Welcome to the family, baby girl," I said, patting her stomach with my other hand.

I didn't want to wake Grace, so I pulled my hand away and rolled to my back as I came back to the present. The feeling of uneasiness hadn't gone away, so I got out of bed and began my loop around the house to check on the kids. We were downstairs now; Libby was sleeping in her 'big girl' bed and had taken our old bedroom upstairs. Faith would move into Lib's old room, and Glory and Everett would stay where they were. We were officially out of bedrooms, so having kids would have to stop unless we wanted them to start sharing.

I think it was safe to say that four was enough.

I climbed the steps and walked silently through the halls, listening to each of the kids breathe.

Christmas came and went with our entire family joining us for the festivities. Serra and I stood towards the back of the living room, each with a drink in our hand, and watched the kids open presents with Grace, Sam, Emery, Jody, Cas and Lucia. Grace had announced our name choice at Christmas breakfast and the women hugged and cried, fawning more over Grace's bump.

A week later, at New Year's, Grace gasped when she discovered that she could hear Faith's thoughts. She grinned, tears glistening in her eyes, as we counted down the New Year. She touched my hand, feeding me the colors and feelings coming from our unborn daughter.

"If we got a hold of molds of parts for a forty-five, we would be able to make a gun from this stuff," Serra said quietly as we sat in the panic room, perfecting her weapons' creation from The Stone.

I shrugged, staring at my sister-in-law. "We don't really need a gun," I said, snapping loose the latest angel blade from the mold we made from our already existing blades. "We just need the bullets."

"I hadn't even thought of that," Serra said, grinning at me. She glanced back down at the stone. "Kinda wasteful, though, don't you think?"

Shrugging again, I tilted my head and held up the completed blade. "Maybe. Does this thing have an expiration date? Does it run out?"

"I have no idea," she answered, pouring the last of the molten silver-type-metal into another four-inch blade mold. "I should probably ask questions about stuff like that, huh?"

"Wouldn't hurt."

There was a knock on the door of the panic room. "Hey guys?" Sam's voice echoed through the lead-lined door. "Dinner's up. Grace said come on out."


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Grace

"Hey stranger," I greeted, holding out a plate of chicken and mashed potatoes to Dean. "Long time, no see."

He grinned. "Serra's getting good at pouring. We're gonna try bullets next," he said, lifting Glory into the high chair next to me. "Remind us to ask Cas if that stuff ever runs out."

I lifted Everett into the chair next to Glory as Liberty ran out ahead to sit in the chair next to her brother. They had gotten close over the last few months because he was calmer with Faith, waiting in the wings. Taking a breath after rubbing my face, "If there are only five stones, they've gotta be pretty long-lasting, right?"

"I assume so," Serra said. She paused and stared at me. "You okay, Gracie?"

"Yeah," I said quietly. "I've had a headache on and off all day. I think I'm just tired."

Serra nodded silently, still staring at me. "Liar," she accused.

The truth was that Angel Radio had been outrageously loud all afternoon and I was struggling to isolate human voices from angelic ones. I shook my head, rolling my eyes at her. "Don't worry about it," I said, attempting to smile. "It's just especially loud today. Everyone is all riled up about something."

I watched Dean and Serra exchange a look as they sat down. Their thoughts were suddenly both consumed with what the angels could be talking about and what we needed to know about what may or may not be going down. We sat down to eat and I did my best to tune everyone out.

The kids were in bed when Cas and Lucia suddenly appeared in the middle of our living room. I had been leaning against Dean, trying to go over numbers with him to start the New Year at the shop in the black. "What?" I asked, hearing the anxiety in their minds. "What's the matter?"

Lucia stepped forward. "We're here to mark and relocate you and the children. Ouriel is gone and no one knows what is about to happen."

Dean was on his feet and moving towards the weapons safe in seconds, leaving me still sitting on the couch, holding a stack of papers. "What do you mean gone?" I asked, trying my best to get up from the couch unassisted.

"We don't have time to explain," Cas was saying, extending his hand to help me. I was six months pregnant and it was getting harder to get up from a sitting position. "Stand here and prepare yourself. This will be uncomfortable."

Dean didn't even look up. We decided after Glory and Everett were born that from then on, we would do what Castiel told us to do in order to keep our kids safe without question. I braced myself for the burn that was coming: Cas was about to mark me with protective angelic sigils that would keep me as hidden as we could be from other angels. Lucia went upstairs to begin marking the kids.

Closing my eyes, I waited for the pain. It began slow, starting in my lower rib cage and got more intense as Cas concentrated on completing the markings up to my sternum. I gasped as he finished and tried my best to comfort Faith, who was showing signs of distress. Lucia came back down stairs, carrying both Glory and Everett, with Liberty following sleepily behind.

I could hear Dean loading guns with the new bullets that he and Serra had created from the metal The Stone produced and he was talking quietly on the phone. Listening silently, I could hear he and Serra discussing the best options for defense strategies. I knew, right then and there, that I would have no opinion on the matter and would simply be whisked off, into hiding, and the rest of my family would be called into action.

Once the kids were all in the living room with us, Cas turned to face Dean. "I am not even telling you where we take them for now," he began. "It's too high risk. Your mind can be read."

"I know, Cas. Get them the fuck out of here." Dean set his gun on the table and strode over to me, cupping my face with both of his hands. "Keep the kids safe. Serra and Levi are coming with you, and Sam, Cas, Lucia, Jody, Em, and I are going to take out Ouriel. Or anyone else that comes by."

I nodded, knowing it was the best possible plan that we could have. I still had Lailah with me, Serra was close to unstoppable, and there was no doubt in my mind that for the first time, we were as prepared as we possibly could be. Dean stared at me, then closed his eyes and leaned his forehead to mine. "Keep your senses open. Stay close to Serra." He kissed me softly. "I love you."

Smiling lightly, I nodded. "I love you back."

Cas reached out his hand as he closed his eyes. Dean stepped away and I picked Liberty up, cradling her against my hip. Lucia still carried both twins and I watched the room vanish before me as we crossed over what seemed like time and space to a new, secret location. Lucia put the twins in a crib across the room and I turned in a full circle, taking in my new surroundings. It was a quaint hotel room, looking out onto a lake in the middle of some unknown forest. It was morning here, which suggested to me that we were on the other side of the world.

There were angel sigils painted throughout the room, along with many other markings that I didn't recognize. Liberty walked straight to the bed on the far end of the room and curled up on it and went immediately back to sleep. I smiled, considering how adaptable my children had become. Cas nodded his approval and disappeared once more.

Lucia stayed near me, listening with her head tilted to one side, her hand out towards my abdomen. "She is very alert already," she said quietly. "She is an old soul. I feel like I know her."

I smiled back, resting my hands on my stomach, despite the desperation of the situation. "Me too," I said quietly. Castiel and Serra suddenly appeared in the middle of the room and Serra was loaded with weapons. I grinned at her, seeing how seriously she was taking her job. "Are you ready, Watcher?" I asked her.

Dropping the bag she carried, Serendipity grinned at me. "Oh, hell yeah," she said, glancing around the room. "I am a Warrior of Fucking Heaven."

I chuckled and sat in the large, fluffy chair next to me. "Things under control at home?"

"I think so," she said quietly. She began unloading the bag as Lucia appeared with Levi. Serra glanced at him and smiled. He was still asleep and Lucia turned, placing him in the crib with the twins.

Cas turned to me and spoke very quietly and quickly. "You and Serendipity need to stay close and do what you can to defend yourselves. I trust that Lailah will protect you. No one knows where you are except Lucia and I."

I nodded, trying my best to stay calm. "Go, Cas. Protect them."

With a look, Cas took a breath and he and Lucia disappeared once more, leaving me alone with the other half of my family.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Dean

Cas and Lucia reappeared in my living room as I handed Sammy a loaded gun. I nodded my thanks to them and spoke to my brother, "Are you ready for this?"

He nodded, his face set and serious. "Are you?"

"This is the most prepared I have ever felt when it comes to this shit," I replied, laying out another three of Serra's blades. "I called Jody and Emery. They're on their way."

"Do you really want to risk them?" he asked, tucking two blades away, into his boots.

I glanced up at Sam, tilting my head. "It's not a matter of me wanting to risk them. It's that they would both have my hide if they knew I left them out of this."

Sammy nodded, smiling lightly. "That is the truth," he said. "I just hope they know what they're getting into."

"They do," I answered.

Minutes passed, then close to an hour, and nothing happened. Lucia and Cas were frozen in their positions, listening. Jody and Emery had arrived about ten minutes ago and they both had been briefed on what the angels knew and the fact that the girls and the kids were safe.

"Have they heard anything about what Ouriel's plan was?" Emery asked. "If I know him, and I do," she said, taking a deep breath, "he will attack alone. He's very prideful."

I chewed the inside of my cheek. Waiting was the worst. "What does that mean?" I asked, turning to stare at Emery. "Does he think he can take all of us on at once? By himself?"

"If he's not alone, I would be surprised," she answered quietly. "He has a thing with being the only one to take a job. He wants all of the credit. If he does share an assignment, he shares with only one or two other angels."

I glanced at Sam. The longer we waited after such a sudden and desperate appearance from Cas and Lucia, the more on edge I was. It didn't seem right that it was such an emergency when they appeared, but now, we were left waiting.

"Cas, what've you got?" I asked, pacing around the room. "This is weird, right? The waiting? You guys came in here like he was hot on your tail." I watched Lucia and Castiel exchange a glance and without realizing what I was doing, I was walking up to them and speaking in a low and dangerous voice. "Cas, what do you hear?"

"We hear the same thing that we have been listening to all night. His followers are wondering where he is and how the Winchesters will continue after tonight," he replied, speaking calmly. "We responded as if he was already in motion. Ouriel moves in the shadows, using demons and angels alike. We have no idea whom to trust."

The answer slammed into my brain harder than I was ready for. It was too obvious, too easy. Flicking my eyes to Sam, I could see that he had made the same connection that I had and Emery wasn't far behind. I stared back at Cas, willing him to put the pieces together.

I watched Castiel's blue eyes widen as he read my thoughts. "How can that be?" he whispered. "Grace would have known. Grace would have heard."

"Put me there, now," I said, grabbing my gun off the table.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Jody was saying from the corner of the room. "Get us in the loop. What's happening?"

Sam turned to Jody as he loaded his pockets with extra ammunition. "Lailah," he said simply. "Lailah is the only angel we didn't already know." He stared at me as he finished his thought process. "Lailah is the variable."

"Now, Cas. Zap me there now."


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Grace

I was getting bored, sitting in the small hotel room. I watched Serra pace for a while and then ventured to the window to stare out at the water. The voices that I normally heard on Angel Radio had gone eerily silent and I turned inward, seeking comfort from Lailah.

 _"_ _Have you heard anything?"_ I asked, gazing into the wilderness. I waited for a reply and none came. _"Lailah,"_ I ventured again, _"What is happening? Are we safe here?"_

There was only silence. For the first time in our tiny room, I was afraid. Turning towards my sister, I took a deep breath. "Serra," I whispered. She turned, her hazel eyes wide. "Lailah is gone."

In three steps, she was at my side, shaking her head. "What the fuck does that mean? Where the hell did she go?"

"I don't know!" I exclaimed, my voice raising. "I asked if she had heard anything and if we were safe here, and she isn't answering." I was fighting the panic rising in my chest. "Normally I can _feel_ her. There's nothing, Sere. She's gone."

Silence fell around the room; even the birds outside in the trees had gone quiet. Libby stirred at the absence of sound and for a moment, I didn't breathe. I knew, deep in my chest, that Ouriel had found us. I stared into my sister's eyes and terror strangled me. "He's here," I whispered. "How did he find us?"

Serra turned towards the open room, standing in front of me and pushing me into the corner. Lib sat up in bed and stretched, looking around. I gestured to her, forcing her to come to me without using words. There was a flutter of wings as my world crashed down around me.


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Dean

The last time Cas zapped me anywhere; I didn't shit for a week. This time, it was the last thing on my mind. The sigils that were now etched into my wife's rib cage made it hard for Cas to get back to exactly where he had hidden her, but we were running, full tilt, up the steps towards a tiny apartment. I had no idea what part of the world we were in, but I knew that it was nowhere I had ever been before. Sam and Lucia were right on my tail as we ran, doing our best to get back to the girls before Ouriel managed to find them.

As four shots rang out, echoing through the corridors of the tiny white building, I hesitated only long enough to throw a glance back at Sam. Four back-to-back shots were pretty much Serra's signature and it didn't take me long to realize that we might already be too late.

"Grace!" I screamed, slamming into a locked wooden gate. "Grace!"

There were four more shots and yelling from the girls as I stood back long enough to shoot out the lock in the wood. I kicked the gate open and continued up the tiny, curved stairs two at a time. Cas stopped me in front of a door and pointed. "I don't know how he could have gotten in," Cas breathed, pointing. "I painted that sigil myself."

There was a scorch mark through the red symbol painted on the door and I closed my eyes, wondering how the fuck I could have been so naive. "It was Lailah," I whispered. "It had to be Lailah."

I pounded on the door, trying to get to my wife and kids. "Grace!" I screamed, Sam right behind me. "Serra! Grace!"

Sam pulled me away from the door and shot through the doorknob, but the wooden door remained firmly shut. "What the fuck?" Sam yelled, turning towards Cas. "Get us in there!"

Lucia stepped forward and placed her hand on the ancient wooden door. It glowed blue momentarily and then dimmed. "Ouriel has sealed it shut. There is no way in."

"Grace!" I bellowed again, slamming my hand on the door. "Grace!"


	39. Chapter 39

**Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your wonderful reviews and comments. I appreciate them so much. This is sadly the last chapter for 'Leap', but I already have the next story, called 'Wayward' completely written, so don't think I'm abandoning you here. Please continue to check in and take a look at my new stories. I've also got a couple of fun, not so intense, flashback-style stories coming up. I'll be posting the first chapter of 'Wayward' very soon. Thanks so much!**

...

Chapter 39

Grace

Serra had never been one to hesitate and unloaded four shots straight at the angel in front of us. With a flick of his wrist, he batted the bullets from the air and took a menacing step closer to us. My sister wasted no time and changed tactics immediately, throwing two of her new four-inch angel blades straight at Ouriel but he only seemed amused. "You are wasting your time, Watcher. After all, you are still simply a mortal."

He brushed his hand across the room and Serra went flying against the stone wall. I thought she had been knocked unconscious, but she raised her pistols again and rapidly fired four more shots towards him. They seemed to hit some sort of force field and fell to the ground behind him. Ouriel turned and lowered his head, clenching his jaw angrily. Again, he seemed more human than angel as he glared at my sister, rage emanating through him. He reached out with one of his hands and swiped the air again, knocking her pistols to the floor with a crash.

"How long have you had her?" I asked, finding my voice. "How long has Lailah been one of yours?"

"Since the beginning," Ouriel replied, smiling slowly. "She was one of Castiel's first, but I managed to win her over before she agreed to help you conceive."

I was shaking with fury as I listened to Dean pound on the door down the hallway. I felt completely vulnerable, now that I was without the power of the angel that had been using me as a vessel. I considered the idea that Lailah had physically weakened me as well; I felt exhausted and could barely stand on my own. I struggled to keep my wits about me as I concentrated on the shield that I had been working on with Cas and Lucia's help, but on my own, I didn't have the same abilities. I was back to being only a nephilim.

Serra was on her feet again, jumping towards Ouriel with another full-sized angel blade gripped in her hand. She wrapped her body around him, holding the blade to his throat and managed to hold on to him long enough to draw blood; a light blue light pouring from the wound, but as he turned, anger filled his face, and he slammed her into the floor, finally knocking her unconscious.

He turned back towards me and Liberty and smiled as he pushed her away with a simple flick of his finger. My daughter hit the ground hard enough to scrape her knees on the stone, leaving a blood trail on the ground beneath her. "I am not interested in the Daughters of Heaven. They will be unimportant as I continued my crusade."

I hated the angel before me with every fiber of my being, but I completely useless, feeling drained and weak. "What are you interested in?" I asked, playing for time.

Ouriel glanced longingly towards the crib where the babies lay, remarkably still sleeping. "I am very interested in your son," he said quietly. "He will be a very talented creature indeed." Ouriel stood too close to me now. I was pressed up against the cold rock and tried my best to fling him away, as I had done so many times, defending my family. I just didn't believe I had the ability to move a full-fledged angel and felt powerless against him.

I could still hear Dean in the background as Ouriel approached me, still holding the angel blade he had taken from Serra. He took a slow breath and smiled at me, lowering his voice. "The problem, you see, is that you carry the one thing that could slow my progress. The boy must be allowed to express his full, untapped potential, and with the Daughter of Heaven still living, I am afraid that would not come to be."

Pushing him physically away from me, I did what I could to stay as far away as possible from the large angel. Dean was pounding relentlessly at the door and Sam had joined in the yelling. I could hear the splintering of wood as Dean and Sam finally made some progress, distracting Ouriel for just long enough for me to move closer towards the entrance of the room.

It was almost as if he predicted my move before I had made it, and grabbing me by the hair, he brought me around to the front of his body, using mine as a shield as Dean and Sam finally burst through the door. "You are a thorn in my side," he said towards Dean, holding me in place. "It's a good thing that I plan so well."

I felt the angel blade pierce my skin and the burn spread immediately through my body. The room glowed bright white, as light seemed to pour from me. I could see Dean's mouth moving as he screamed, but I couldn't hear him, and as I felt my knees buckle beneath me, Ouriel vanished. Castiel and Lucia were at my side in seconds, and I could feel their healing touch attempt to close the wound where blood poured from my side.

I could hear Cas' voice through the pain, "The wound was made with an angel blade. I can't heal it."

Dean was screaming, close to hysterical. "Fix her!" he was yelling, "Heal the wound!"

Lucia was kneeling down next to me as well and I couldn't understand what was happening. The pain that surged through my body burned, as if my insides were on fire. I could see Sam kneeling off to the side, trying to wake Serra, and tears fell from my husband's eyes as I struggled to comprehend what had happened. It wasn't until Everett began to cry from his place in the crib, that I finally put it all together.

Faith was dead.


End file.
